Twogether

While I was watching this movie, I kept asking myself why a luscious woman like Brenda Bakke would be paired with this dweeb (am I being too hard?). I would have enjoyed Twogether far more if a more masculine actor was in the lead. Opportunity lost.

This first struck me as an intriguing, realistic film about an adult relationship seemingly going bad. It featured some accomplished but relatively unknown actors, including it's main protagonists, Nick Cassavetes and Brenda Bakke, who first meet at an exhibition of Cassavetes paintings, and begin a rollercoaster ride of a romance. The love scenes are handle in a very realistic manner, as they are sensitively done, and not sleazy or exploitative to watch. The lovers seem to be heading towards a shmaltzy lovey-dovey future, but alas we soon see cracks beginning to appear. Cassavetes' character soon bores of Bakke's clingy and personality, as he realises that she is not the free spirited girl he first met. Bakke's character seems hurt by Cassavete's distant behaviour towards her, after they have basically tried and tested every sexual position under the sun. They start to have vicious rows which are well written and executed by the actors. This new dynamic even affects Cassavetes relationship with one of his down-and-out beach bum friends, but unfortunately though, we do not meet any of Bakke's acquaintances. We later see her well-to-do parents, who are horrified at the way she lives with the bohemian artist in sometimes near squalor. When Bakke become pregnant this adds more stress to the relationship, even though Cassavetes is elated by the news. Bakke's character suspects that he is having an affair, and has already guessed that he literally has skeletons in his closet, as Cassavetes hurriedly locks a large chest that he keeps in his studio, when she returns from a shopping trip. Unfortunately what begins as a promising exploration into an adult relationship, doesn't end that way. I won't give away the ending for those who haven't seen the film. But near the end, I thought, "Mmmm. This is pretty brave stuff." Alas, it isn't. The ending is pretty much an insult to anyone who's been in an-up-and down sort of relationship, especially one which involves a child. But having said that, I have seen it twice, because for the first three quarters of the movie, it was very well executed.

This is a movie that explores to a certain deep the very unstable circumstances under which a couple can try to experience love, even pretending to have everything in control. In fact, with some less characters it could be a documentary about the making, growth and death of love itself.

It sure has the virtue to take the viewer on an emotional roller-coaster, although it fails to compound more complex scenarios to unveil the crisis that seems inevitable from the very start of the film.

The story begins with the introduction of John Madler, an hedonist painter who can't seem to relate to any woman on a long-term basis. Shortly after wards, he meets Allison McKenzie, a young and beautiful woman who, while being capable of throwing herself to a very enjoyable affair, keeps turning into a fragile-spirited girl looking for self assurance.

True, it appeals to common places all too often, both when it comes to explaining the characters and when the characters themselves open their mouths. If nothing else, it proves to filmmakers that the borderline between verisimilitude and expressing yourself as an author is, at best, unclear.

Personally, I also find it worth of praise that every so often it comes close to turn out really bad and then, it just doesn't.

Performances, on the other hand, are quite convincing, specially Brenda Bakke's, who manages to display a very extended range of emotions. Nick Cassavetes characterization is also remarkable, with less honorific mentions to the rest of the cast.

In my very personal opinion, is worth watching whether you are interested in identifying the constituent elements of a rather simple plot or if -which is more likely- you are just sentimental.

I saw this movie three times and the ending does leave a lot to be desired. The rest of the movie is very well done. Ironically, the soundtrack helps to set the early mood as well. Interesting that the music is used as a mood setter early on and followed through till the ending. As you mentioned though, for people that have been in a relationship like this you expect it to be more but it does shy away from that several times. But alas, Hollywood and even the independent film community have a belief too often that everything has a happy ending. In the real world, it does not. Even with the flawed ending this is still one of the better films I have seen.

Twogether (awful, awful title) seems to want to be an explanation, almost, of a hectic relationship between an emotionally vulnerable couple. Though at times its plot developments are pleasingly subtle, its surges towards melodrama are unbelievable and unsettling.

There seems to be a lack of talent involved in the movie and it comes across as pretentious and uninvolving. The two leads cannot hold your involvement and as it drags along, you cease to care what happens next. The script is competent and Jeremey Piven (from Ellen and Judgement Night) plays that character he always does, keeping the movie vaguely interesting and familiar.

Unfortunately, they were the only reasons I made it to the end of the picture.