The Killing of Two Lovers

... but lived in a real world, in reality, where unsupported collapse, distraction, deviation and despair far too often rule the roost. An outstanding and convincing performance by Claude Crawford, held high through incredible cinematography and sound that carries you into a fracture as visible, visceral and raw as any you'll come across.

This movie is good with great acting and cinematography. It's a story about love, family and struggle. Making sacrifices and fighting for family. It's real life situations that could happen to anyone. Love it.

Robert Machoian's 'The Killing of Two Lovers' is an oppressively strong and raw picture that relies primarily on Clayne Crawford's performance - You can feel the underlying tightness of his repressed rage. The majority of the film is narrated from a fixed camera at a significant distance from the protagonists. In some moments, the characters take up just a quarter of the screen, leaving the rest for the sky, mountains, and cold landscapes of the Midwest of the United States. This visual design allows the film to depict the tensions and anguish of a character who has gotten himself into an emotional mess.

So emotionally raw, you really feel for the characters. Also very visually beautiful.

A powerful story which is well executed from start to finish.

The movie beautifully shows the complexity of relationships. Whilst to the outside eye the fractures of a relationship might appear obvious, love can be a binding force that masks such fractures to those in the relationship.

The movie depicts the many forms of love which are evident in society; at one extreme there is love which borders obsessive and destructive behaviour, and at the other is love which is simply duty bound. The movie shows this with dark and brute force at times.

The setting of the story is perfectly fitting; a small remote town in a bland environment enhances the focus on the relationship at the centre of the movie. The setting is symbolic of the nature of the love that holds the main couple together. Harsh and obsessive at one end, and unfulfilling at the other.

In reality, true love lies somewhere in between.