Two Lovers

Leonard Kraditor, living with his parents in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, is caught between two women: Sandra, whom his family has chosen for him, and Michelle, the unstable neighbour upstairs who uses drugs. James Gray directed, from Dostoevsky's 1848 story White Nights. Joaquin Phoenix plays Leonard, Gwyneth Paltrow plays Michelle and Vinessa Shaw plays Sandra. It premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and opened in the US in February 2009. At the end Michelle chooses to leave with her married lover; Leonard realises Sandra genuinely loves him and accepts the ring. The film's openness is here: whether this is a happy ending or a surrender is left to you. Eighty-one percent of 167 Rotten Tomatoes reviews are positive, with Metacritic at 74 from 33 reviews. One critic called it an old-fashioned love story concerned with intellectual and emotional connection rather than shock. It made the National Board of Review's top ten independent films and the New York Film Critics Online list for the year. Phoenix drew several Best Actor nominations. The independent production grossed 16.3 million dollars worldwide. Who it is for: viewers who like quiet, small-scale romantic drama and Gray's New York films. Who it is not for: anyone who needs the protagonist's choices to be defensible. Leonard is dishonest with both women throughout.