Get the latest gossip

‘Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other’ Review: Intimate Doc Dissects the Marriage of an Artistic Couple

Directors Jacob Perlmutter and Manon Ouimet reveal how the disparity in success between spouses can lead to frustrations in this artful documentary.

The premise for “ Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other,” Jacob Perlmutter and Manon Ouimet’s quietly relatable documentary about the marriage of Joel Meyerowitz and Maggie Barrett, sounds like the real-life companion piece to Michael Haneke’s “Amour.” Soon enough, however, it’s revealed to be closer to Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall,” a dissection of a marriage full of resentment and hidden grievances. In rooting their film in the specific details of this loving but tumultuous marriage, Perlmutter and Ouimet reveal themselves to be directors adept at capturing the tiny nuances that add up to make a life. She’s finally seizing the spotlight, fighting to make this about her for once — another visually manipulated scene that shows the strength of the filmmaking and reveals the thesis of the film.

Get the Android app