The Quebec film Deux femmes en or (TWO WOMEN) will be screened at the Coral Gables Art Cinema in Miami-Dade County from May 22 to 27. Le Soleil de la Floride had the chance to watch this hilarious comedy—it’s a must-see!
Background and Synopsis
The comedy is a remake of the 1970 Quebec classic, Deux femmes en or. The remake was written by Catherine Léger and directed by Chloé Robichaud.
In a press release sent to Le Soleil de la Floride, the film Deux femmes en or, winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, is described as “an irrepressible comedy about two mothers who refuse to settle for stagnant lives, and instead pursue the joy they need to feel alive and fulfilled.”
The film tells the story of Violette (Laurence Leboeuf), who is on maternity leave, and Florence (Karine Gonthier-Hyndman), the mother of a 10-year-old son who is depressed and on sick leave. Violette keeps hearing crows cawing, which she mistakenly interprets as the sounds of her neighbor Florence making love, but Florence admits she hasn’t had sex with her partner (David) in ages. As the two neighbors bond over the boredom of parenthood, they realize that the solution to reigniting their zest for life may lie in listening to their libidos. Thus, the two women, examining the deeper unmet needs that led them to their current situation, choose to live joyfully rather than compromise. Unbeknownst to their partners, they embark on a series of one-night stands with men passing through their home.
The press release states: “Wonderfully layered, empathetic, sexy and fun, Two Women urges us to consider that life is not a straight line, and to remember that there are infi nite kinds of pleasure we can experience together if we simply allow ourselves to give in.”
Interview with the Director
Le Soleil de la Floride (LSDLF) had the privilege of speaking with the director of the film Deux femmes en or (TWO WOMEN), Chloé Robichaud (CR).
LSDLF: The New York Times described it as “an erotic protest against monogamy.” Do you agree, or does it go far beyond that?
CR: “I’d say it goes beyond that. It’s not so much a protest as an observation on the state of relationships right now. I’m not passing judgment or saying that monogamous relationships don’t work. As a director, I observe, I watch. I see these two characters who are disconnected from their own reality, their own desire, and their bodies, and who are just looking to feel again. For me, it’s simply a protest against losing sight of oneself, and it’s more of a film that inspires people to find themselves again, whether they’re a man or a woman.”
LSDLF: The intimate scenes required careful consideration of how to portray female desire. How did you approach these scenes to ensure they were both authentic and respectful?
CR: “I really didn’t want to fall into anything gratuitous or voyeuristic. I wanted to stay within the perspective of these women, and therefore have a camera that stays with them in what they’re looking at and what they’re experiencing, focusing more on the sensation. These sex scenes are mainly there to make them feel something. I even had to play around with that because if there’s nudity in the film, I wanted it to feel more everyday. Because our bodies aren’t just for making love. A woman’s breasts are fundamentally for breastfeeding. So I thought that if people expect to see breasts in the film, it could be a close-up of breasts in a breast pump or a woman looking at herself in the mirror, and we’d sense that it’s been a long time since she’s done that. Again, it’s about staying within their experience, within their perspective. Not a camera that’s there to titillate or use a woman’s body for the sake of putting on a show, which would have been completely at odds with the approach I wanted to take.”
LSDLF: Which scene was the hardest to shoot—either technically or emotionally?
CR: Technically, I’d say anything involving the Montreal Canadiens, because we had to recreate the Bell Centre. For the Canadiens scenes, obviously, I couldn’t fill an arena, I didn’t have the real Canadiens players; so I had to figure out how, through lighting and sound, atmosphere, and archival footage, I could bring a Canadiens game to life in a realistic and entertaining way. It was still a unique challenge to tackle. From an emotional standpoint, there were some very beautiful scenes between Florence and her son that really moved me. But we also had a lot of fun! We laughed a lot. Every time Florence Leboeuf’s character had to make the sound of a crow, it was very hard. It required a lot of concentration on her part. We had to do several takes.”
LSDLF: What moment during filming moved or surprised you the most?
CR: “I’d say the solidarity among women. Most of my department heads were women (cinematographer, art director, costume designer), and my relationship with Laurence and Karine as well. We became very close. I noticed at certain moments on set that we were a group of women quite united in our desire to accurately portray female desire. We had discussions on the subject and revealed ourselves to be quite vulnerable, which was a unique, special, and very touching experience for me, in addition to becoming friends. So it was a set that gave me a lot, including my friendship with Laurence and Karine.”
LSDLF: The four characters—not just the women—seem disconnected from their desires. Why was it essential for you to also include the male perspective in this exploration?
CR: “It was important to us. Yes, the film is called Deux femmes en or, but they’re in relationships, and we didn’t want to overlook the reality of those men. I really like the character of David, especially the one played by Karine Gonthier-Hyndman’s husband, because you can tell he wants to keep his family together, that the idea of separating is scary, that facing reality is scary, and that’s something we’ve often seen in women, whereas I have plenty of male friends who go through that or who also experience a loss of libido, a lack of desire. Men are so often portrayed in movies as necessarily alpha males who are constantly driven by desire, when that’s not always the reality. So I thought it was beautiful—even though the film isn’t about them—to bring those nuances to these characters; I found it really powerful and relevant.”
LSDLF: Why did you choose to shoot the film in 35mm? What does that add to the film?
CR: “I shot in the same original format as the film from that era, so there was a kind of nostalgia to it. It’s a way of acknowledging that 55 years have passed between the original film and today. Yes, things have changed, but are we sometimes in slight danger of going backward? And for me, film is the origin of cinema. We consume so much television now on our cell phones and other devices; it feels like film brings us back to the essence and the pure side of cinema. And I do this in many of my films—it’s my tribute to the cinema of my childhood.”
LSDLF: Does that involve additional challenges?
CR: “It’s more expensive. You have to convince producers of the necessity of doing it. Film is expensive, but I find it has a certain advantage: every take becomes precious. Everyone understands that we’re giving it our all for that take. It feels like sometimes, when shooting digitally, you could shoot endlessly. Also, film has a way of bringing the focus back, which I love.”
LSDLF: What does it mean to you to present Deux femmes en or in Miami, a city with a strong Quebec and Francophone presence?
CR: “I’d be really happy if people went to see the film in theaters and if I could reach a Quebecois and Francophone audience in Florida. This is my fourth film, and it’s the first time it’s officially being released in the United States, so being able to reach a wider audience is very exciting! “It’s especially important to me to know that my entire team’s work is being recognized, that people are going to see it, and that we’re helping to promote Quebec cinema and our culture,” concludes Chloé Robichaud.
The film Deux femmes en or, presented in French with English subtitles, is a must-see from May 22 to 27 at the Coral Gables Art Cinema in Coral Gables (260 Aragon Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33134).
Instagram: @TwoWomenFilm
Website: https://twowomen.ajointventure.com/
Link to the box office: https://twowomen.ajointventure.com/tickets
Trailer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miL1turMuFA
This article was translated using DeepL
