Dans la vie

When the freelance nurse Sélima asks her mother to become housekeeper for the handicapped patient Esther, a three cornered relationship results that, despite all their differences, could grow into a real friendship. We see the encounter between the young nurse with secular feelings who has very pious Islamic parents and the older wheelchair-bound Jewish woman of Algerian origins. The story forms a warm plea for putting human relations above religious or social convictions or prejudices. To achieve that, the characters have to conquer themselves and the opportunities gradually present themselves. It turns out not to be easy.
That is not down to the director. Philippe Faucon gives his characters plenty of room with calm camera work and a relaxed sequence of scenes. His sober style gives his latest fiction film a documentary conviction, while the three women form a test case for many other encounters between people from different backgrounds who share the same history. It is the characters themselves with their impotence and desires who provide the authentic drama.
Two Ladies is like a contemporary morality play situated in a quiet town in the South of France where the moral values and real character of the protagonists are put to the test without direct urgency. The choice is up to them. It’s a free choice.

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