French master of cinema François Ozon for the script of the film Two-Faced Lover (2017) took the common theme of the novel “Twins Lives” by Joyce Carol Out. Viewers who want to understand the plot twists of a psychoerotic thriller should not turn to the literary source. The adaptation is as free as a researcher of human sexuality, a connoisseur of female bodies and souls - the famous hoaxer François Ozon can afford.
The main character of the film - a young Parisian woman Chloe - follows her physiological sensations and is captivated by her illusions. What does a neurasthenic anorexic woman dream of, whiling away lonely evenings with a cat: an inexplicable disease, an ideal lover.
Chloe consults a psychoanalyst for depression and phantom abdominal pain. The doctor - a courteous and attractive blond - refuses to continue treatment after a couple of sessions and admits that he has fallen in love. The patient responds to Paul's feelings, and they are immersed in a romantic and erotic l'amour.
One day, from the bus window, Chloe sees her lover on the other. Jealous Mademoiselle arranges surveillance for them and sees that this is a man who, like two drops of water, looks like Paul. Louis, his twin brother and also a practicing psychologist, piques Chloe's interest. The girl makes an appointment with the doctor, and from there she goes straight to his bed. Louis is the absolute opposite of the reserved and gallant brother - seductively brutal, off-scale sexy.
Chloe cannot decide which of the lovers is more attractive. A "split" begins: when she sleeps with one, she thinks about the other. Soon, stripes on the test indicate a possible pregnancy. Chloe doesn't know which partner to start talking about parenting with. The situation is complicated by the fact that Paul categorically denies the fact that he has a twin brother.
Continuing to delve into the personal life of her deceiving lover numéro un, Chloe learns that Paul's ex-girlfriend became disabled after a suicide attempt. Sandra was pregnant, but not from him, but from Louis. Impudent under the guise of a brother had an affinity with her - he got drunk and raped. When the truth was revealed to the girl, she did not want to stay with it. After the tragedy, Paul deleted Louis from his life. Sandra's mother told Chloe about this.
Chloe decides to immediately break up with her villainous lover numéro deux. But he persistently pursues, threatens. The conflict is resolved when she kills Louis with a shot from her revolver. Chloe, who has lost consciousness at this moment, is taken to the hospital. When she regains consciousness after the operation, the doctor reports that there was no pregnancy, she had a cyst removed, which made her feel unwell.
Paul and Chloe's mother arrive at the hospital chambers. Despite her long-standing dislike for her daughter, the woman wants to support her in a difficult situation. And then the viewer sees that Chloe's mother is Madame, who told her the story of Paul's ex-girlfriend, that is, Sandra's mother. So the girls are twin sisters? This is overkill, a sophisticated lover of psychological drum-tricks might think, and it turns out to be right.
In fact, Paul and Chloe do not have mirror halves. Louis and Sandra are a figment of the girl's imagination and unhealthy fantasies. And given that one of the reasons for Chloe's appeal to the psychoanalyst was the reproachful look of her mother that pursues her, this woman becomes the key figure in the plot denouement in the film. It turns out that 25 years ago she gave birth to Acardius (parasitic twins), and Chloe is the result of this rare biological phenomenon. She was a donor body in relation to the undeveloped twin absorbed by her in the womb. Hence the pains that bother her, and the imaginary unborn sister in the form of Sandra, and the fantasies with her lover, Paul's brother.
Now everything is over: the operation was successful, you can forget about health problems and doctors. She reconciles with her mother and returns home from the hospital to her lover. The final footage shows an atmospheric bed scene with Chloe and Paul. But they are not alone in the house. Sandra, watching what is happening from behind the window, breaks the glass and finds herself in the room. As the French say, la commedie est terminé.
The entire length of the film "Two-Faced Lover" follows a thin line between drama and thriller, periodically plunging into eroticism and psychological horror. The solo thought that the author conveys through the delicate topic of psychological disorder is the transfer of personal problems to the external environment. The girl is confused in herself and does not understand at all why she is unhappy and constantly cries for no reason. Unbeknownst to herself, she plays the story of her origin in her relationship with Paul and Louis. In this imaginary scene, both real events and Chloe's fantasies unfold.
The duet of consciousness and subconsciousness is the main one in a person's life. How happy a person is depends on whether there is a reasonable compromise between them. You can not give up either one or the other. Otherwise, we will become either mentally defective or frustrated individuals. So it is generally accepted. This is what François Ozon's film is about.
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