Valérie Donzelli's "Just the Two of Us" is reminiscent of the "women's pictures" of the 1930s and '40s, films like "Stella Dallas," "Possessed," "Kitty Foyle," and "Letter from an Unknown Woman". These were melodramas, told from the woman's point of view, dealing with often tragic circumstances: exploitation, having children out of wedlock, man/money problems, and the struggles of being a woman in the world. The actresses who populated these films - Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford - provided catharsis for the audiences who flocked to see them.
The plots were often heightened, but the emotions powering them were all too real. Melodramas, then and now, have been dismissed as "soapy" or shallow, but melodrama is often the best vehicle for serious social and even political commentary. "Just the Two of Us" is being marketed as a thriller. This is misleading. The film is an extremely effective melodrama, dealing with something many women experience: being married to a frightening man. "Just the Two of Us" is not clever, self-important, or stylistically overt. This is a story, well told.
Blanche (Virginie Efira), living in Normandy where she grew up, meets Grégoire (Melvil Poupaud) at a party. Sparks fly. Grégoire is charming and sweeps her off her feet. In the middle of such a pleasurable whirlwind, it is difficult to perceive that instant intimacy of this kind can be a huge red flag. Blanche's twin sister Rose (also played by Efira) is concerned, but their mother has a more romantic sensibility and lives vicariously. Blanche has never been so happy. Before she has time to think about it, she and Grégoire have married, and he takes a job in a location far away from Normandy. It all seems exciting to Blanche. However, it doesn't take long for Grégoire to display some rather troubling behavior.
Grégoire calls her at work constantly. He grills her on what she does when he's not around. He insists they only need one car, forcing Blanche to take the bus to work (so he can more easily control her schedule). He is openly jealous of Blanche's relationship with Rose. It irritates him that they are twins. There is a part of Blanche's heart that will never be his, and it drives him insane. The couple eventually have two children, and Blanche wakes up one day, after years of what she considered just minor irritations, to realize she is trapped. She sees him for what he is now. And she is afraid.
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