The Killing of Two Lovers

I expect this to be one of the most divisive films of 2021, with your enjoyment of “The Killing” depending hard on how you process media (long essay short, if you don’t engage with media to explore your feelings, sit this one out). What’s undeniable is how well shot, performed, and measured “Lovers” is, damn near all excess fat cut out so this complicated parable can clock in under ninety minutes, with its spell briefly broken in a few exposition-heavy conversations whose information feels as though it could have been conveyed more organically. A brilliant film with a haunting ending.

8