Two Lovers: Choosing from the love you need and the love you want

We always bump on two words in our everyday lives; want and need, this was the main there of the movie of Two Lovers which will be exclusively shown on Ayala Malls and stars by Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Vinessa Shaw, directed by James Gray and distributed by Magnolia Pictures.

Two Lovers involves the lives of three individuals connected by love and its reason. Leonard Kraditor (Phoenix), the son of the laundry shop owner and tries committing suicide after the failure of his relationship with his fiancé because of a genetic result. He met Sandra Rausch (Shaw) who is the daughter of the soon to be business partner of his dad. Sandra confesses her feelings to Leonard, and he returns the favor until he met Michelle Cohen (Paltrow) his neighbor upstairs in their apartment. Leonard’s attention shifted to Sandra to Michelle even though Michelle is having an affair to a lawyer who has a family of his own which makes Michelle a mistress. Leonard confesses his feelings to Michelle yet she cannot give back the feelings for him, which resulted to Leonard returning to Sandra that leads to his plan of having an engagement with her. But Michelle returns to Leonard’s life asking help because of miscarriage, this meeting ignites his feelings for Michelle where the girl finally returns the favor. Leonard plans of escaping from his engagement party and go to New York with Michelle, leaving Sandra without an explanation. But Leonard fails the 2nd time when Michelle backs out and left Leonard after reuniting with his lawyer boyfriend. Devastated, Leonard plans to kill himself again by drowning himself yet he realizes that he may want Michelle because of her adventurous life but it was Sandra whom he needs to fulfill his life.

The film which is the remake of Luchino Visconti's Le Notti Bianche and based from Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story, White Nights is a simple story of love where everyone can relate, choosing from what we need and what we want. The movie discusses this concept where Leonard is the main character, confused in choosing where he wants to end his lifetime with, Michelle the girl he wants, and Sandra the girl she needs. But the plot dictates whom the main character will be choosing by making the two girls have their character predictable, Michelle who is a woman who makes Leonard as a scapegoat of her mistakes, and Sandra who is a woman who remains in the side of Leonard not knowing what is fiancé is doing at his back. Still like other film love stories ends in a good one and that is with the underdog.

Also starring Isabella Rossellini, Moni Moshonov, Elias Koteas, Bob Ari, and Julie Budd. The film is still showing on Ayala Malls, so check it out and you’ll see yourself relating to the three characters.