Partway into “Two Women,” a frisky French Canadian sex comedy, Florence (Karine Gonthier-Hyndman) shares some wisdom with her new friend, Violette (Laurence Leboeuf). She proclaims that monogamy was invented by men, with scant benefit to the women expected to stay by their side. The two women, who are neighbors in an eco-friendly co-op building in Montreal, are having a tough time seeing its advantages.
Directed by Chloé Robichaud, “Two Women” is a remake of the French Canadian filmmaker Claude Fournier’s 1970 sex farce “Two Women in Gold.” It’s easy to spy the film’s dated origins. Neither Florence nor Violette has a job, at least for the time being, and they idle away their hours at home bemoaning their thwarted libidos and the injustice of the patriarchy.
The women initiate a minor form of protest against traditional mores when they begin sleeping with handymen — hired strangers whose visits they spin into seductions. It’s a creative solution to the life of the housewife, Betty Friedan’s problem that has no name.
The film could have settled deeper into that groove, exploring how the random encounters indulge the women while leaving them restless. But Robichaud opts to pair the playful sex scenes with mundane co-op meetings about their building’s failing green initiatives. She seems to be noting the thorny hypocrisies of modern life, the challenge of toeing a line that is continually redrawn.
Ultimately, “Two Women” is less a message movie than a featherweight comedy, gesturing at big ideas about sexual politics before settling in as an amusingly mischievous diversion.
Two Women Not rated. In French, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes. In theaters.
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