Two Lovers and a Bear (2016)

One of my all time favorites.

As Good As It Gets

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Despite being located in extremely cold,northern, and pretty harsh weather conditions, the story of the movie itself feels quite warm at the same time. We are given a narrative which the environment makes it rather picturesque but its setting might have been anywhere and could apply to anyone. The message of the movie is too profound - you can find it in almost every religious containing material, or even in those self-improvement books, but it does not sound cheesy. Not at all, on the contrary it feels as a new discovery, although, we, the viewers knew it all along perhaps in another meaning. As much as I try to depict it the way the film deserves, i can't really grasp it - nor should I, the movie tends to defend its message astonishingly. Try to be happy. Shit happens. Sometimes it is done to you, sometimes you are responsible for it. But no matter the circumstances, you will never lose your ground as long as you are guided by your heart. You may be disappointed by the outcome of your doings, but it's better to be disappointed by trying something you love or believe in. The two main characters are doing just that. Going right into the blizzard caused by nature, they are confronting directly their inner demons - both of them are hunted by their past. They are not without flaws, they do stupidities but their love for each other redeems them. The movie is great, even with the Romeo & Juliette ending. I especially liked the last few scenes, the shot where their frozen selves, are always holding together flying in the sky, embraced. The bear is the perfect supernatural diversion of the movie. It's not in any way forced or out of place, it fits perfect in the movie. The guy, Roman, talks to bears, he says, but it's the same bear all the time. At first I thought it's his conscience speaking, but then the other characters saw it, confirming its existence. Maybe it is his love for Lucy, his sacrifice (he doesn't want to go back south, he does it for her), his past unfortunate events that chased him out of his home, that he is chosen to be spoken to by the wild life - seven nation army couldn't hold him back. One of the first lines in the opening is the admiration of Jack White who contributes to the celebratory mood when tragedy is avoided with his big hit in the background, and it is also mentioned that if you only stop and listen, your spirits will talk to you. While drunk and scared when told she was leaving, while digging their future grave to get away from the storm, the bear always appeared, saying only truth. At first, when I saw it, I thought this was another version of "Lovers of the Arctic circle" - an amazing movie, telling of two lovers both striving to get to the Arctic, where the sun doesn't set in summer, where time doesn't exist. Something similar taken from another excellent book author Murakami, is used in this film - the same thing told in the movie ending, that time only exists as the heart percieves it.

Lucy (Tatiana Maslany) and Roman (Dane DeHaan) are a young couple living in a remote Canadian arctic outpost. Roman talks to a bear. They go out on a snowmobile trip. Stuff happens.I love the two leads and they have an intriguing chemistry. At first, I figured the bear is a hallucination. It's almost an hour in and both of them see the bear but only Roman can hear him which suggests that he's not hallucinating the bear. It's magical or delusional. Then the movie gets disjointed and there is a confused flow. Then it's all a hallucination which is kind of a relief. Then I start to wonder when the hallucinating started and I'm back to confused. I want to like this for the actors but I can't really follow this movie.

This film tells the story of two lovers in an arctic town in Canada, whose lives are interrupted by apparently positive life changes, hideous past trauma and the appearance of a polar bear."Two Lovers and a Bear" shows a glimpse of what life could be like in a northern town that is permanently surrounded by ice and snow. The scene where the policeman visits Dane DeHaan, and then request unconventional backup through the radio is very funny. Perhaps you can really do that in a small town, but I cannot imagine this could happen in a big city without staff being held accountable for and someone getting fired.The following scene that strikes a chord with me is the very last scene. I feel sorry for them, but yet they chose such a path of action perhaps out of foolhardiness. To sum up, the film is pretty uneventful but beautiful.

This was my favorite film from the 2016 Cannes Film Festival; and a must see. The entire audience loved it and it was shown in what was likely one of the largest theaters I had been in prior to Cannes. The plot and shots make it seem very Canadian, but it is a great film and should be watched by everyone. It is well written, directed and the cast does a very good job. The cinematography is great and does a good job at immersing the audience in the story.The director is now one that I will follow.Thanks for making such a wonderful film.Go check it out!