Welcome back again for another Mubi Monday review! Crazy to think that, including today, there’s only 9 more Monday’s left in the year. Today we’ll be looking at a short film from an Oscar winning director. That’s right, this week we have the Justine Triet short…Two Ships (2012).
Title: Two Ships
Director: Justine Triet
Runtime: 30 minutes
Released: January 12, 2012 (Angers European First Film Festival – France)
Available to stream on: Mubi (leaving 10 days from the date this is posted)
Laetitia (played by Laetitia Dosch), a comedian, and Thomas, a painter (Thomas Lévy-Lasne), meet by chance at a party. Both feel out of place and uncertain about their success in their respective careers.
Though they hit it off, the party setting makes it hard to find a quiet spot to talk. If only it were that simple.
As they try to spend time together, a series of comedic mishaps keeps interrupting them—whether at the party, at Thomas’ home where he lives with his father, or even in an emergency room. Laetitia and Thomas must work hard to find a moment alone. When they finally do, we see them goofing around on Chatroulette.
But what about the next day? Well, that’s just it. We don’t know.
Justine Triet lets us be a fly on the wall for one night in these characters’ lives. While we learn a bit about them, their futures remain a mystery. For that brief time, we follow them as they drift through the night, only to part ways at the end, like two ships passing.
The film wouldn’t be the same without Laetitia Dosch’s performance. She brings an anxious energy to her character, which is felt throughout. Before Two Ships (2012), I wasn’t familiar with her work, but I’ll be looking to see more of it now.
At a runtime of 30 minutes, Two Ships finds the perfect balance. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, nor does it leave you wanting too much more.
Would I have liked a little more depth to Laetitia and Thomas’s encounter?
Absolutely.
But that’s just not how the random moments in life unfold.
So, if you’ve seen Two Ships (2012), now it’s your turn!
Tell me all your thoughts on it in the comments below or by reaching out on Bluesky, Instagram, or Letterboxd.