Neo-neorealism is the new modernism

I don’t know how to do a proper film review, but I’d like to tell you about one aspect of the movie I saw last night, “Two Lovers,” a small romantic drama starring Joaquin Phoenix.

“Two Lovers” tells the story of a troubled young man struggling to accomplish love against the backdrop of bleak, wintry Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. The most striking element of this film is its realism. Rarely have I seen a movie portray relationships, conversations, and actions with such stunning naturalism. I often found myself thinking, “Yes, that’s exactly how that would happen!” The realistic nature of the acting and cinematography creates great power in “Two Lovers,” bringing the viewer right into the movie and blurring distinctions between screen and audience. (It helps that I watched this on a bleak, wintry night in New York and identified very strongly with the location, which is at the end of my subway line.)

Interestingly, Phoenix’s character’s mother is played by Isabella Rossellini, whose father was the groundbreaking Italian neorealist director Roberto Rossellini. He is credited with innovating an entirely new look and feel in cinema beginning with his film “Rome, Open City.” That artistic movement focused on creating a heightened experience by shooting on location, portraying the poorer classes realistically, and employing naturalistic acting—all things that could also be said about “Two Lovers.”

Coincidence of casting? Probably. But it was refreshing to see a modern indie film eschew the postmodern pastiche and cuteness that’s so prevalent lately and hark back to a grittier, paradoxically complex simplicity of filmmaking.

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