Cine Europa
Cinema 3, Red Carpet Cinema
Edsa Shangri-la Mall
The English translation of this French movie is "Love and Forests", not "Just the Two of Us". But I can see and understand why a forest is referenced in the title, it played an integral part in this dramatic movie about obsessively possessive behaviour disguised as love.
Blanche, a literature teacher meets Gregoire at a party she was hesitant to attend. They click instantly, as they laugh at the same jokes, discuss Moliere endlessly, and have sexual compatibility. Soon enough, they get married and have kids right away. It is only when Gregoire convinces her to move to another town away from her closely knitted family (her mother and her twin sister) that troubles arise.
It turns out that Greg (let's call him that as it is too long to type his entire name lol) is a jealous, self absorbed, manipulative control freak and dare I say, for lack of a better term, a sociopath. He doesn't want Blanche to work, controls her finances, is in a good mood then gets all riled up over petty things. He also tends to play games like portraying himself as the victim when things heat up between them. His tearful apologies, his I.don't.know.why.I.am.this.way pleas, his 'mea culpa' stance - anything just so Blanche will have pity on him, and hope deep in her heart that he changes his ways . But it is just a ruse.
It is interesting to watch how a "supposedly" good person with all the right characteristics you would want in a life partner, suddenly turn into a totally different person. Maybe that was his true persona and he was just masking it? Was he born this way? Did some past trauma in his childhood or his adolescent years scar him? Did Blanche trigger this behavioral shift? Is he even aware that he is that way? It is difficult to decipher how these 'sociopaths' are wired.
The film is narrated from Blanche's point of view as she tells her domestic abuse story to her divorce laywer. She is a tough cookie but even the strongest among us can crumble under such an immensely intense and stressful life situation. Although it is understandable that any woman would want to get out of this situation by any means possible, sometimes it is NOT as easy as just packing up and leaving. In the same breath, what Blanche does to escape from her miserable marital woes, is in my books not justifiable, either. This is where the forest in the title comes in, but I am not giving away any spoilers. Suffice to say, you can't right a wrong by another wrong. I will simply leave it at that.
As most European movies go, this film ends with an open ended conclusion. As we see both parties enter the judge's office, we are left to form our own conclusions. Does Blanche gets her happy ending through a divorce or does Greg play his victim card to his advantage?
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