Film

Julia Has Two Lovers (1990)

Director: Bashar Shbib

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Alone in her Californian beach apartment, Julia (Kastner) receives a call from a stranger (Duchovny). It's a wrong number, but that doesn't stop them from embarking on a revealing, lengthy conversation conducted while he shaves, she tidies. Julia only puts the receiver aside when her live-in boyfriend (Charles) arrives for lunch and demands sex. Once he's gone, the conversation is resumed, and the two agree to meet the next day. This low-budget comedy makes the most of limited means, but its resourcefulness goes beyond cautious budgeting. Long-distance intimacy exposes the characters' sense of displacement, while poking fun at life in LA. The pace picks up once there's direct interaction between the strangers, leading to the inevitable conflict between long-term security and short-term excitement. Kastner and Duchovny offer engaging performances, and although the film could do with tightening, it's good-natured and uplifting.

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