By Max Bradley-Cole, Film and TV Editor
Maggie Barret is the wife of renowned photographer Joel Meyerowitz. He’s published 53 books, received the Guggenheim fellowship twice, and has had his worked displayed internationally in esteemed galleries such as MoMA and the Tate Modern. I think it’s safe to say that Joel is prolific, yet throughout this documentary, it becomes clear that his wife is too. An artist in her own right, Maggie has published five novels, a play, and a collection of short stories, she draws, plays the piano (beautifully might I add), and is in every aspect of her life, an artist. Yet despite her incessant creativity and her equally abundant oeuvre, she has remained in the shadow of Joel’s camera throughout their time together. That is, until now.
Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other, a title that struck me like a slap in the face when I first read it, is a documentary by first time directors Jacob Perlmutter and Manon Ouimet. It follows the relationship between (can you guess?) Maggie Barret and Joel Meyerowitz as they navigate love, ageing, mortality, creativity, and even something as simple as their shared space. I had no idea what the film was about prior to watching, as I love to go into things with no preconceptions, and I can say that I was swiftly blown away.
The film opens with a whistle-stop tour of their lives communicated via picture and voiceover. The sequence creates this sort of sentimental launching pad from which the film kicks off and you’re immediately endeared to the couple both thanks to Maggie’s quippy wit (or witty quips) and Joel’s calm assurance. This is followed by a succession of gorgeous vignettes that converge to create a really lucid portrait of their life in rural Tuscany. One of these initial moments that stood out to me was this scene of Maggie and Joel together in the bath. It’s just a simple, static, shot, with the couple situated to the left, Maggie’s back is to the camera as the couple share a kiss. It’s so beautiful and so tender and all I could think is how rarely we are presented with a love between two elderly people that is this raw and affectionate. This is something so important and it permeates the whole film.
I have found in life, that there is this poisonous, pervasive belief, especially amongst young people, that once you reach a certain age your life is over, and it seems that number is ever dwindling. To offset the dread caused by this you must have loved, achieved, and triumphed all before the age of 50, 30, 25, 21 and so on. Yet Maggie and Joel’s life is the direct antithesis of this, constantly reinventing themselves, learning, doing, being, more and more and more. It was just so life affirming and reassuring that, even at their respective ages, they still had more that they wanted to do and more that they were doing.
The film, however, is not all sunshine and rainbows, Maggie and Joel’s relationship, like any relationship, is comprised of light and dark. Maggie is intermittently at odds with Joel and his success, often feeling like an accessory to him and his career. Although Joel is acutely aware of this, taking great care to introduce her immediately to any approaching fan and is consistently supportive of her creative endeavours, Maggie still finds it difficult to quash her feelings. This comes to a head when Maggie takes a nasty fall, breaking her femur and is thus, confined to her bed whilst she recovers.
During this healing process, Maggie is left with plenty of time for reflection, carefully considering where she is in her life and what she wants from her future. So too is Joel, as Maggie’s injury confronts him with their mutual mortality and he is forced to consider what he prioritises, a life with photography or a life with Maggie. This introspection begins with some amusingly juxtaposing remarks from each of the pair, captured as they wake up. Joel, with the deepest sincerity, rasps into the camera “I reached out for you [Maggie], and felt a void where your back usually is, I just felt so sad.” And I would’ve cried had it not been followed up by Maggie’s uproarious accompaniment, “Monday morning, just had my first shit in five days!” Nah, when I tell you I literally screamed it was so funny.
But again, light and dark. These more humorous moments are levelled by some plaintively compelling and tear-jerking scenes. From Maggie ripping apart her journals and burning them, an instance made all the more painful upon learning she journalled everyday throughout her life, to discussions of the fate of their remains post-mortem, the film is coloured by these contrasts, from joy to sombreness. One of the film’s most poignant scenes is towards its end, Maggie sits in her counselling room where she takes her therapy clients, it is also one of the only places in their New York apartment that she feels is hers, and in there she seethes after Joel dismisses her whilst he takes a phone call. Joel enters and asks after her, and what follows is a monologue that could give Shakespeare, Chekhov and Albee a run for their money. It is a pure and visceral moment in which Maggie excoriates Joel for all his shortcomings, it is a catharsis for her, yet it carries this teetering worry that this may be ‘it’ for the couple. Yet, this anxiety is unable to ossify, the love that Maggie and Joel share is too devoted, too profound, too big, and its clear that just as they have survived all that has befallen them prior, so too, will they survive this.
I think this film acts as an equaliser for Joel and Maggie’s relationship, it shines a light on Maggie (and her brilliance) helping her carve out a clear aureole within Joel’s shadow and enabling her to be appreciated in her own right. But for all its specificity, it’s richness and depth mean that anyone from anywhere will be able to gain something from it. It’s gorgeous and I hope you get the opportunity to sit before its warmth and delight in the hope it brings.
Did you manage to catch Two Strangers Trying Not To Kill Each Other?
