The Killing of Two Lovers

A small town in Utah. David and Nikki are living apart. The separation is not settled; it is a pause, and both may see someone else. Nikki is seeing someone. David is not. They have four children and he is staying at his father's house; every morning he goes to his old home, takes the children to school and then leaves. He holds his anger in. The narrative watches how long that holding will last. The first scene has already shown what he is thinking. Robert Machoian writes and directs. Clayne Crawford plays David and Sepideh Moafi plays Nikki. What is most striking is the sound design; doors, engines and metal are used in place of music and the tension comes directly from them. The photography does not use tight frames; the camera usually stands far off and the scenes are shot in single takes. The winter landscape is inside the narrative; the town is empty, the weather cold, and the setting barely changes. The matter the narrative builds is control more than jealousy; David tries to preserve an order in a situation where he holds no right at all. Its best sections are those with his eldest daughter; what she says to her father is the most honest part of the narrative. It was made on a small budget and shown at Sundance. Who it is for: viewers who like quiet American independents and narratives that build tension through sound. Who it is not for: little happens, the pace is slow, and the narrative proceeds under constant threat.