The Killing of Two Lovers, Robert Machoian’s icy new drama, is not the movie you think it is. On the surface it’s the unravelling of a man struggling to deal with the separation from his wife, while forced to see his children only intermittently. Deeper down, however, it’s my contention there’s a lot more going on. Why, for instance is it so suspenseful, dark and ominous? What explains the ever-present grinding and clunking, the sounds of car doors slamming shut, the constant metallic clangs that ring throughout our protagonists mind. Is it just a film about marriage, relationships and family or could it be about something more, something darker?

 Clayne Crawford is magnetic as David, the soon-to-be-divorced dad, struggling with his situation. He exists in a miasma of cold, his surroundings nothing but icy terrain, rusted pickup trucks and the frosted gravel that he scrunches underneath him as he walks the two blocks from his children he misses so desperately. His sadness is palpable. Yet David is complex. He’s not exactly the grizzled everyman often seen in films with a decaying mid-west setting, but a sensitive, playful and somewhat hopeless romantic. He is kind to the townsfolk. He adores his children. He respects and pines for his wife whilst desperately clinging to the withered shreds of romance they hold between them. His struggle is human and universal. And the intensity in his performance only highlights the very real pain involved in a broken marriage.

 The supporting actors are all exceptional. Sepideh Moafi as Nikki especially shines as David’s frustrated wife. Through her, the film achieves a new dimension of complexity, providing a counter-argument to David’s wistful and heart breaking attempts at reclaiming his old life. Nikki has her reasons. Their marriage was plagued with complications. Married young and having four children, they fell into a fast-paced and monotonous rigmarole which evidently led them to neglect each other and the intimacy that had to be nurtured. Their trial separation serves as an opportunity for Nikki to experience a life she always wanted or felt she should’ve had. Whilst for David, it’s an opportunity to rebuild and win over his wife’s affections all over again.

 Their relationship is depicted with utmost sincerity and intimacy. Oscar Ignacio Jimenez as cinematographer, uses a masterful steady-hand, at times utilising long distance shots that hold static over the pair for an extended period, emphasising the emotional distance that stands between the two estranged spouses. Other times scenes are depicted in extreme close-up, where every wrinkle, blemish and hair is magnified, their expressions contorting and stretching to evoke the nuance in a conversation that harbours many years of emotional and romantic baggage.

 There are no bad guys (with the possible exception of one duplicitous home-wrecker). It’s merely a heartbreaking depiction of a crumbling marriage. David isn’t abusive, nor is Nikki manipulative. Their intentions are perfectly reasonable. And yet a tension hangs over this film that suggests bloodshed, madness even. It’s an electric quality pulsating underneath every still-frame and cut. The score attests. The aforementioned clang and clatter of car doors slamming shut, of screws slowly turning, seem to evoke something more than love-on-the-rocks drama. It hints to something darker than what you’re being sold.

 The Killing of Two Lovers is a tense but tender story. It magnifies the cogs that turn in a relationship fraught with problems. It posits the idea of hope and perseverance as noble paths of salvation when all seems lost. But my initial question remains. What is burning underneath? I’ll be honest; I really don’t know. But it seems a question that might have film lovers returning many times over. It’s for this reason that The Killing of Two Lovers stands above its contemporaries as an endlessly intriguing and complex window into the human psyche. A very special film.

5 out of 5 Stars

 ‘The Killing of Two Lovers’ is screening at the Revelation Film Festival from the 1-11 July. Find out more at https://www.revelationfilmfest.org/