The Two of Us

He’s 17, she’s 18. They had a year-long relationship, but now it’s over and they’re trying to stay friends. This story is so commonplace that coming up with the idea to make a documentary about it is quite something in itself, and Emil Næsby Hansen succeeds with flying colors. In part, this is because he manages to stay close to Skjold and Isabel without distracting or inhibiting them. We watch as they despise one another, want to be together as much as possible, frolic like lovesick puppies, and then suddenly can’t understand each other anymore.

The Two of Us is a record of first love and the utter confusion it brings, with attraction and repulsion in equal measure. One absolutely unforgettable shot is the close-up of Skjold when his ex-girlfriend tells him she’s going to study abroad in Barcelona. This brief glimpse of disappointment and defeat is subtler and more authentic than what you might see in a romantic drama, while the film attains a similar sense of intimacy.