'Two Drifters'

Comments (0) By Drew Tillman Tuesday, Jun 13 2006

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Two Drifters
Directed by Jo�o Pedro Rodrigues
Strand, opens June 23, Quad

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Arriving from Portugal, this ludicrous melodrama of female hysteria is an oddly compelling bit of cinematic folly. The story begins with the death of a young man named Pedro on the day of his first anniversary with studmuffin boyfriend Rui. While Rui consoles himself with anonymous head in the steam room, Pedro's neighbor, the newly dumped and possibly pregnant Odete, grows obsessed with the death of the neighbor she never knew. Odete's behavior swiftly turns psychotic when she announces to Pedro's mother that she is carrying the dead man's child. And as Odete swings from simply creepy to certifiably batshit, so goes the story. All indications are that director João Pedro Rodrigues wants us to take his film seriously—even as Odete lies over Pedro's grave moaning "Fuck me" and humping the ground. But if you can look past the film's inexplicably straight face, Two Drifters is an enjoyably daffy picture. Odete ultimately assumes Pedro's appearance and woos Rui, and the climactic scene of the two consummating their crazy love is a brilliantly queasy finale.