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Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other

Play trailer Poster for Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other Now Playing 1h 40m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 11 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Life, death and making meaning are the heart of a beautiful and often very witty film about an aging couple who, after an accident, face the inevitability of impermanence and seek a deep peace in their relationship while they still can. Thirty years after a chance encounter, Maggie and Joel, aged 75 and 84, are still very much in love. But their relationship is not without complications. Born in the hard-boiled Bronx, Joel Meyerowitz is a world-renowned photographer with major exhibitions and 40 books to his name. British-born Maggie Barrett is a talented but less recognized artist and writer. There is a knot of unease in their relationship, which is further strained when Maggie falls and breaks her leg and Joel must take on her caregiving. In the shadow of mortality, each with a long and dramatic life behind them, the hard truths of life together provoke in Maggie and Joel an attempt to find a shared inner peace while there is still time. With unique access to the couple's lives, directors Jacob Perlmutter and Manon Ouimet and have created a profoundly moving film about living, creating and loving.
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Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other

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Nick Bradshaw Sight & Sound Nov 5
Joel Meyerowitz and artist Maggie Barrett take stock of their 30-year marriage, contemplating mortality, equality and how to move forward together, in this richly artful documentary directed by another artist couple, Manon Ouimet and Jacob Perlmutter. Go to Full Review Leslie Felperin Guardian 03/20/2025
4/5
It’s a salutary reminder that love never stops being challenging while also finding a way to meet the moment. Go to Full Review Marina Ashioti Little White Lies 03/20/2025
3/5
The impact of the long, unedited takes making up the film’s last few moments attest to a real sense of honesty and candour, leaning into complex questions that lack straightforward solutions. Go to Full Review Avi Offer NYC Movie Guru Mar 30
Profound, unflinching and tender. Go to Full Review Rob Thomas Not That Rob Thomas (Substack) 04/08/2025
4/4
The word “intimate” doesn’t begin to capture it. By the end of “Two Strangers,” we feel we know this couple better than we know most of the people in our own lives. Go to Full Review Saskia Baron The Arts Desk 03/21/2025
3/5
Frustratingly, [the] brief references to skeletons in closets don't get a further airing in this documentary; the filmmakers seem happy to remain inside their hermetic relationship. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other

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Cast & Crew

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Manon Ouimet

Director

Jacob Perlmutter

Director

Maggie Barrett

Self

Joel Meyerowitz

Self

Brenda Bufalino

Self

Manon Ouimet

Producer

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Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other

Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other (2024) Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other (2024) Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other (2024) Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other (2024) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Life, death and making meaning are the heart of a beautiful and often very witty film about an aging couple who, after an accident, face the inevitability of impermanence and seek a deep peace in their relationship while they still can. Thirty years after a chance encounter, Maggie and Joel, aged 75 and 84, are still very much in love. But their relationship is not without complications. Born in the hard-boiled Bronx, Joel Meyerowitz is a world-renowned photographer with major exhibitions and 40 books to his name. British-born Maggie Barrett is a talented but less recognized artist and writer. There is a knot of unease in their relationship, which is further strained when Maggie falls and breaks her leg and Joel must take on her caregiving. In the shadow of mortality, each with a long and dramatic life behind them, the hard truths of life together provoke in Maggie and Joel an attempt to find a shared inner peace while there is still time. With unique access to the couple's lives, directors Jacob Perlmutter and Manon Ouimet and have created a profoundly moving film about living, creating and loving.
Director
Manon Ouimet, Jacob Perlmutter
Producer
Manon Ouimet, Signe Byrge Sørensen, Jacob Perlmutter
Production Co
Manon et Jacob, Final Cut for Real
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 40m