The love triangle scenario in “Two Pianos” might sound contrived, but because the director is Arnaud Desplechin, a French filmmaker whose narratives (“Esther Kahn,” “A Christmas Tale”) seem to ebb and flow with the moods of his eccentric protagonists, it is a good deal stranger than a summary lets on.
Mathias (François Civil), a talented pianist who has spent the past eight years abroad, has been summoned to his native Lyon by his mentor, Elena (Charlotte Rampling). She tells him that he’s been in a rut and envisions great things for him, although she later reveals personal motives for bringing him back.
Shortly after returning, Mathias runs into Claude (Nadia Tereszkiewicz) while exiting an elevator; the encounter so stuns them both that Claude flees without saying a word and Mathias faints. A few scenes later, Mathias spots a child on a playground who resembles his younger self. It’s no surprise that the boy, Simon (Valentin Picard), is Claude’s son. But Claude is married to Mathias’s friend Pierre (Jeremy Lewin), who, awkwardly, is overjoyed to see him again.
In a touch that makes sense only within the film’s peculiar logic (a parable relayed at the beginning may hold a clue), Pierre is sidelined in an almost cosmic way: Desplechin cuts straight from a duet between Elena and Mathias — who is so unsteady that he risks botching the concert — to a development that forces Mathias and Claude to confront their romantic confusion.
Looking for rational behavior, especially in a crucial flashback, is pointless. To the extent that “Two Pianos” coheres, it is in a way that might be described as musical. Lately Desplechin has been in a bit of a rut with critics, and this modest drama, less sprawling than much of his work, feels like an effort to reconnect with the madness of his early films. That’s a compliment.
Two Pianos Not rated. In French, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 55 minutes. In theaters.
The post ‘Two Pianos’ Review: Striking an Odd Chord appeared first on New York Times.
