Two Lovers

Okay, I'm at an utter loss as to what to say about this one. I was pretty immersed in Two Lovers, a somber, bittersweet story about a young man living with his parents who is seriously depressed and recovering from a suicide attempt. During this time he meets two women. A lovely sweet girl who is drawn to him, and who is a close friend of his parents. And then there's *that* girl. The pretty girl who is using him as a shoulder to cry on while she is in a seemingly doomed relationship with a married man.

It's very well done. Joaquin Phoenix plays the lead, and you can feel his pain, his irritation, and his love for this girl. All the other actors are equally good, delivering nuanced, subtle performances.

But, the last five minutes of the film really, really, really threw me for a loop and infuriated me. I don't know if I should say what happens... Well, since no one reads this I'm going to go for it.

At a certain point he realizes it's futile with Gwynyth Paltrow, and he begins dating the other woman. They are happy, their parents are happy. Then Gwynyth calls him when she is in a crisis. Her relationship with the married man is over. Phoenix comforts her and they fuck. He completely drops the other girl who it appears he never really loved. He proclaims his love for Gwynyth, and the two decide to run away to San Francisco together. He buys her an engagement ring. At the time they are supposed to meet she shows up and says she's back with the married guy who left his wife for her. Phoenix is bereft. It is devastating. (although you saw it coming, it's still intense).

So he cries, walks the beach by himself, cries, throws the ring in the sand... then he nearly drops a pair of gloves his girlfriend had given him. The girlfriend he never loved and cheated on. He picks up the gloves, finds the ring, marches back home and gives her the ring. They embrace. The end.

WTF??? Are you supposed to feel happy about that??? The poor girl! If she knew that just hours ago he had proposed to someone else! Who would want an engagement ring under those conditions? He just shakes off the devastation of losing his emotional obsessive crush, just picks up the gloves and says, oh well, I guess it was meant to be the other girl? Jesus! Give me a break.