We’re used to thinking about films in terms of familiar genres—horror, rom-com, political thriller, and the like—but there are actually a lot more ways to describe them. One of my favorite categories of the less common variety is the two-hander, in which the primary focus is on the interaction of two characters. The most famous example of this type is probably Louis Malle’s 1981 My Dinner with André, and, like that film, two-handers tend to be dialogue-heavy and often resemble filmed plays (and in fact some are cinematic adaptions of works originally written for the theatre, like last year’s Daddio). There’s usually not a lot of action so their ability to connect with audiences generally rests on two factors: the quality of the writing and the acting of the leads.
Russell Brown’s Loren & Rose is squarely in the tradition of André, right down to being organized around a series of meals shared by the two focal characters, Loren (Kelly Blatz) and Rose (Jacqueline Bisset) and having one of the characters also serve as an occasional narrator.
When we first meet them, Loren is an up-and-coming young director with all the confidence of a young white man in a field where he’s the norm and in which he’s enjoyed some success already (an award-winning short film). Rose is an actress who enjoyed early success but whose career has since declined and who has suffered a number of personal blows as well. In fact, the first images of the film are of preparations for an auction of Rose-related memorabilia, a good idea which Brown doesn’t fully develop. You might think the younger person would be acting the courtier in this relationship, but both understand the cruel dynamics of the film business and what it does to women who are not the current hot thing, so it’s Rose who plays the supplicant, delivering compliments to the callow young man while also dispensing her own brand of life wisdom.
The two-hander form demands a lot from a writer and unfortunately Russell Brown’s script (he also directed) is only occasionally up to the task. The acting fares a bit better. Jacqueline Bisset, who has enjoyed more lasting success than Rose but who also can’t be unaware of what it means to be an aging actress in Hollywood, is the main reason to see Loren and Rose, as the restrictions of the form let her show off the acting chops she’s honed over decades. Blatz can’t help but suffer by comparison, although he’s likeable and convincing enough as a young director who has never really been tested. It’s the “enough” that’s a problem: when a film lives or dies on the interaction of two characters, a mismatch like this one threatens to destroy the whole enterprise.
For all my criticisms, I enjoyed watching Loren & Rose, in part due to the polish of the technical elements. It’s attractively shot by Christopher Gosch, the production design by Leah Mann serves the story, and the costume design by Jessica Fuller and Lindsey Hufnagel tells you a lot about the characters. In addition, it’s a relief to see a movie that’s calm and philosophical after all the would-be blockbusters of the awards season, and it’s especially nice to watch one that gets it done in under 90 minutes. Plus, you know, there’s Jacqueline Bisset. | Sarah Boslaugh
Loren & Rose is available for streaming on Amazon Prime.
