In the pantheon of HIFF 2020, The Killing of Two Lovers is probably the biggest disappointment…not because it wasn’t good, but because it was (for a while, at least). And yet, the film mistook its purpose. Presented as a dramatic crossroads, Killing played and resolved as a slice-of-life film. How shall I put this? Take Romeo and Juliet. We all know this as a tragic love story. Suppose instead of a violent deadly clan conflict in the middle of the play, there’s just sort of a Karen-style 911 call. People are annoyed, but nobody dies. In Act V, Romeo and Juliet quietly drift apart and the tale adds an Act VI where they’re in opposite high schools and maybe they see each other at a football game and then the play ends.
That’s what the Killing of Two Lovers feels like.
David (Clayne Crawford) and Niki (Sepideh Moafi) have been separated long enough for there to be a new man in the mix. David is one of those “can’t give it up” dudes. 95% of the day he’s a mild-mannered guy, but he loses his mind when it comes to the idea of him losing Niki permanently or –worse- losing her to another man.
Oh, and they have four kids, too. David cares about them and cares enough to manipulate favor, you know, just in case the kids have to take sides…but his focal point is still Niki. We get the distinct impression that as much as he loves his children, he spends time with his children mostly as a way of scoring points and winning the day rather than developing some deeper kinship. I imagine this is very common among divorced dads.
The film begins with David in his former bedroom holding a gun aimed at his sleeping wife. When he hears noises from the bathroom, David changes tacks twice, first considering attacking the bathroom user (presumably the “other man”), then nixes everything and jumps out the window and goes about his day. It’s confusing as this feels like a flash-forward, yet the film never comes back to this moment in the narrative.
Another thing that’s going on here is the venue: a small, cold, mountain town. I guessed Wyoming, but imdb tells me it was shot in Utah. This is one of those places where the layered look is pretty much what you do and fashion involves which double-knit plaid qualifies as your 
indoor look-of-the-month. The entire population of the town can’t be more than 500 which means if your estranged spouse is having an affair, it’s difficult to hide.
The portrayals of David and Niki are the highlight of the film; they’re honest, intense, and demanding…David as the guy desperate to act in any way that gets his old life back, Niki as the pragmatic skeptic. She’s seen this rodeo. She knows there isn’t a winner; does she have a real choice or not? These are humans; we see their pain, their exposed wounds, their vulnerabilities. Nobody is a hero. They’re just two flawed people with different versions of what’s going on. This is where the film works.
Where the film doesn’t work is where conflict requires action. I don’t like anything about how The Killing of Two Lovers followed through and “resolved” the problems it established. It’s like having Titanic end up in Pasadena in 1932; even if it’s relevant, that’s not where or how that tale should end. And the same goes for The Killing of Two Lovers.
There once was a guy name Dave
Whose wife found him no longer a fave
I see your remorse track
But if you press your attack
You’re gonna be single all the way to your grave
Not Rated, 85 Minutes
Director: Robert Machoian
Writer: Robert Machoian
Genre: The separation blues
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Divorcees
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: People who get expectations from titles
