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“Two Women,” the latest film from director Chloé Robichaud, is explicit and hilarious. It follows two unfulfilled suburban mothers building a friendship, while one of them engages in an extramarital affair with the other’s partner. With plenty of raunchy sex scenes, Robichaud attempts to defy and subvert viewers’ expectations, both in Quebec and around the world.

Robichaud and screenwriter Catherine Léger were inspired by the 1970 film, “Two Women in Gold,” which Léger also made into a play. The modern update, shot on a 35mm camera, plays with some of the sexual conventions of the 1970s, pointing to how sexual politics haven’t changed much since the original film’s release.

In an interview with The Daily Orange, Robichaud, Léger and lead actresses Karine Gonthier-Hyndman and Laurence Leboeuf discussed their own relation to the work, the process of bringing on-screen elements together and how the film relates to sexual politics today.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The Daily Orange: This first question is for (Léger) and (Robichaud); when did you two first see the 1970 film “Two Women in Gold”?

Léger: I was a student when I saw it. I started to get interested in Quebec cinema from that area … There was something really jazzy about the way they would build their stories and the characters would just come out. It was so different and unique. And then “Two Women in Gold” stood out (because) it was the only one that was really female character-driven.

Robichaud: I was in college, I was studying cinema, and we had a class on Quebecois cinema and it’s kind of a cult film in Quebec. And I was just blown away. I was like, “What? ‘Two Women’?” Just having sexuality on their own terms in 1970 was quite bold. Really progressive and feminist for the 1970s in the context. I was really impressed by that. And when (Léger) came with the idea of revisiting it in the modern days, I just said yes, because I think there’s a lot to say about what happened in the last 50 years. Did it really change? That’s an interesting question. And I think the film, you know, the film is not moralist, it’s not putting any judgment. But still, I think you can feel those reflections.

The D.O.: To follow up on that, at least just through the past two years with this atmosphere — especially in America for sure, this Post-Roe, Post-#MeToo world — how do you approach that as a creative? How do you go about portraying something like that or make it a present theme in your work?

Robichaud: I needed to find a fine line between nostalgia, something that feels like it’s retro, but still very modern because it’s modern comedy. But to me, like I said, I think we did have some progress, but I feel sometimes that we did not. So I wanted to have that in the artistic direction, a presence that feels a bit ritual. The fact that we’re filming also in 35mm in the exact format from the old film. But still, the way they’re dressed, it feels more like the ‘90s. We have an inspiration in the film that looks from the ‘70s, the ‘80s, ‘90s, now. It’s like a blend of everything because I feel I wanted to talk about women as a whole, not just today, but how things have progressed. So to have all these inspirations made sense to me.

The D.O.: This question is for (Gonthier-Hyndman) and (Leboeuf.) When did you guys first get the script and read it? What was your first reaction?

Gonthier-Hyndman: When I read it, I immediately called my agent, and I was like, “I want to do this. I’m telling you, I want to do this.” I thought there was such a special, singular tone to it. … There was something singular to it in the way it was written, but also in the subtleties of the movie. I thought that was really interesting — that thin line between comedy and drama. Anyway, I felt I could bring something to it. And it’s not always that you feel that when you read a script. Sometimes you feel like there’s a limit to what you can do to it. And for some reason, I felt a connection to this character, and it didn’t feel far from my life and from the questions that I asked myself. So it was interesting for me to dive into that.

Leboeuf: Yeah, when I first read the script, I was in love right away. I just loved the comedy. I loved how it was written. I loved the tragedy behind the comedy. I’m in love with that stuff and, at first, when we were told that they were gonna make a movie about “Deux femmes en or,” and I would say that to my mom, my mom was like “No, no, you’re not doing that.” Because it was very bold for the sexuality back in the 70s. My mom, my aunt, my uncle — everybody was just like my agent. They were just, there was an apprehension about it. But the way that it’s translated compared to what it was, to what it is now, and it was completely different. And I knew that. And from the script, I was moved, I was touched … right away, I just loved it.

The D.O.: This question is for you, (Léger.) With talk about sexuality in Hollywood, how do you as a writer try to portray it in a way that you feel comfortable with you and your collaborators?

Léger: Well, I find it interesting that we need to bring it back somehow. We can’t just let like porn discuss sex, because porn, I’m not judging, but there’s more to say about sexuality than what porn is saying. But at the same time, Robichaud did an amazing job. It was hard for me to imagine those scenes. I knew it needed to be there, but I needed Robichaud to come in and do her magic because I don’t write that much description, especially for those scenes. So it was like, basically two lines. (laughter amongst the four of them) Then I remember we had this conversation about how do we make it a build up, and then (Robichaud) came up with this (idea), like, “Oh, maybe, they’re more dressed in the beginning.” And then we really feel how it evolves, and how they just get more and more comfortable (in the sex scenes). And then also, I think maybe for the people who view the movie, they get more and more (the idea that), “Okay, this is where we’re going.”

The D.O.: (Gonthier-Hyndman,) Florence had some jaw-dropping scenes, including one with a construction worker. How did you feel about that scene? Did you feel comfortable?

Gonthier-Hyndman: Oh my god, I was terrorized. Yeah. When I first read the movie, my agent was like, “So there’s going to be nudity in this?” And I was like, “I don’t know. I don’t know if I can do this.” And then the more we thought about it, and when we started talking with (Robichaud,) we had this really interesting conversation where we were like, maybe it’s interesting that we never see them naked in the sex. It’s in the day to day life that we see them naked. And how can we make those scenes sensual without having to see the breast. (to Robichaud) Do you want to talk about that?

Robichaud: Yeah, because the sex scenes to me were mostly about connection. They want to have sex, sure, but it’s not really about the orgasm, but what they need in their lives right now. At that point, it is also a connection, a human connection. (They’re) missing that. And also about the nudity, because when you’re from Quebec, you have expectations about the film. You think, “OK, everybody’s gonna be nude.” And I wanted to play with those expectations.

The D.O.: How does the architecture play into it? It seemed very intentional from the beginning where the two women are separated in tight apartment spaces. What was it like trying to find those locations and just scouting those places out?

Robichaud: When I read the script, I had this idea of it (being) like a cute prison. I wanted lines and to have those small windows. I didn’t want big windows that felt so strict. And I was honestly really lucky. I googled a housing cooperative (in) Montreal, and I saw this one in a picture and I remember I sent it to (Léger.) I was like, “This is it. I want to go there.” And I went, it’s crazy. It felt like (Léger) was sitting there when she wrote the script. And we knocked on doors, and I explained the project, and it was like, “We’re gonna be there two months. We’re gonna film everywhere, inside, outside.”

Gonthier-Hyndman: We’re gonna destroy your apartment (laughing).

Robichaud: But they went with it, and I had to, just like in the film, go to an assembly and explain the project to like 100 people, and they voted, exactly like the film. But it gave a sense of community to the film. That was very interesting because we were in the same location for two months, and people were on their balcony looking at us. In the end, they all took shots. So there was a community feeling to it that I know, that you don’t know that when you see the film.

Gonthier-Hyndman: You can feel it, probably.

Robichaud: Yeah, maybe.

The D.O.: The bar felt like a much more open space? I imagine you weren’t there as long.

Robichaud: It was a day. But the exterior scenes outside of the cooperative were really important. And we did a lot of b-rolls like the train to just open this space because it’s just so, how do we say, claustrophobic? Yeah. So we needed to find that balance. So yeah, like you said, in the bar, we were looking for an open space. And the more you go into the film there, the more they’re liberated. Even the scene when she sings, she’s taking the whole space to herself. So we wanted to mark a difference in the film with that.

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“Two Women” debuted at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, and will be released in theaters in Quebec, Canada on May 30. As of February 10, its American release has not yet been announced.

Published on February 10, 2025 at 9:27 pm

Contact Henry: henrywobrien1123@gmail.com