«Dvoe» - Movie Review by Kinoafisha

Nadya and Andrey are unhappy in their marriage. She is unable to have children and lives with a constant sense of guilt, while he lost interest long ago, satisfying himself with affairs on the side. In an attempt to save their relationship, Nadya convinces her husband to go on a journey to the healing lakes in the wild Taiga, hoping to restore their closeness during the trip. For Andrey, everything is already decided, he just has to inform his former lover about the inevitable divorce. The final word will be left to nature. Frequent heavy rains raise the water level in the river, cutting off the couple's way back home. Gradually, on the journey, the accumulated secrets, resentments, and mutual grievances begin to surface, slowly driving the two apart. Now they are forced to overcome fears and pain, fighting not only with themselves but also with the heartless Siberian Taiga, slowly taking away their hope of returning home alive.

The protagonists are held captive not only by the dense forests but also by a domineering father who tries to control his daughter through constant satellite phone calls. He is the head of a corporation with a telling name "Kronus," literally devouring his own children. While his daughter has spent years dealing with psychological trauma, Andrey is still a newcomer, trying to make up for lost time. He has become the protege who is supposed to inherit the corporation, ensuring a comfortable old age for the young family, but that is still a distant future. For now, Andrey must endure humiliation in a subordinate position. His ideas of preserving the natural state of the forest during ore mining, only evoke derision from the company's CEO, more resembling humiliation. Breaking free from his suffocating father's love turns out to be the most challenging trial. The constantly ringing phone is the first victim, severing the couple's only connection to civilization and leaving them completely alone with the wild nature. This is just a small step on the path to healing, as getting lost in the Siberian Taiga is not enough.

"Two" quickly shifts its focus from survival to emotional trauma. This is aided by the fragmented narrative, blending the journey with hallucinatory flashes of memories. The road instantly pulls each of them into a phantom past, filled with traumas and wrong decisions. The first meeting, full of romance, infidelity leading Andrey to the edge of the abyss, a humiliating meeting, nervous preparations, and the true goals of the journey all float before their eyes. The flashbacks reveal how they ended up in this situation and allow them to see a possible way out. The future of the couple becomes another intrigue of the film, showing the importance of mutual understanding and openness for preserving life.

The main character, of course, becomes not the couple, but the taiga. It strikes with its beauty, making you fall in love with every panorama and camera flyby, instantly overshadowing any characters. It's hard to tear your gaze away from the beautiful vast dense forests, even after seeing their dark and frightening side. At some point, the taiga even replaces the family psychotherapist, forcing Andrei and Nadya to reach forgotten honesty on the path to healing. The unexpected downside, however, becomes the couple themselves. Their actions are driven by incredible emotional outbursts and falls, often not reflecting their characters. The excessively provincial portrayals in the typical model of a strong man - weak woman also do not seem convincing, appearing more as an atavism of the Siberian regions. These minor shortcomings are concentrated only in the first half of the film and still manage to pull you into the thick of it, following the characters.

The dynamics and growing tension smooth out the remaining rough edges of the debut film. Survival, both physical and emotional, captures all attention, not allowing for relaxation until the end credits. A great credit for this goes to the exceptional finale, which serves as an ideal culmination. Unexpectedly, the film transforms from a survival story into a parable of escape and an attempt to start a new life. The characters must face their demons one last time. As for the viewers, they will be left alone with the taiga - the only one who did not lose in this journey.