EL SEGUNDO HERALD May 20, 2021 Page 3
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The Eagles celebrate their 3-2 overtime win over Granite Hills in the first round of the CIF-SS playoffs. Photo by John Lee).
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Entertainment
Film Review
The Killing of Two Lovers Explores
Untraditional Boundaries Within a Marriage
By Morgan Rojas for Cinemacy
In The Killing of Two Lovers, written and
directed by Robert Machoian, a middle-aged
man named David (Clayne Crawford) desperately
tries to keep his family of six together
during an amicable separation from his wife,
Nikki (Sepideh Moafi). Even though they
both initially agreed they could see other
people, David can’t control his hurt towards
his wife’s new relationship and doesn’t hold
back in expressing his male agro-rage.
Similar to how Marriage Story felt like a
personal catharsis of sorts for director Noah
Baumbach, The Killing of Two Lovers feels
like familiar territory for Machoian. Full of
heartache and angst, this character-driven
drama tells a modern story of untraditional
boundaries within a relationship and the
complexities that come with veering from
the status quo.
What sets this film apart from other relationship
dramas is that the suspense and
tension comes from what we don’t see on
screen, mainly due to the use (and overuse)
of long takes (more later). The script forces
the viewer to use their imagination as to
the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of the
other characters in the film since we see the
story unfold directly through the eyes of
the protagonist David. Although it can feel
biased at times, it’s an interesting directorial
choice which earned Machoian a nomination
for the NEXT Innovator Award at the 2021
Sundance Film Festival.
Machoian seems to really like the “long
take” technique, as he falls back on this
shooting style a little too often throughout
the film. The first couple of uses are mesmerizing
as we follow David running down a
snow-lined street, or watch David drive his
truck down the highway to catch up with his
wife’s new boyfriend, or watch David and
his kids set off mini-rockets, or… you get
the idea. This observational aesthetic would
have been more impactful if used more sparingly.
Nevertheless, the scenes are gorgeous
and cinematographer Oscar Ignacio Jiménez
creates a boundless cinematic landscape to fall
in love with, almost on par with Nomadland.
The soundscape is also noteworthy; much of
the film’s tension comes from quick cues and
eerily ambiguous sounds.
For as much as The Killing of Two Lovers
feels like a never-ending upward swing of
emotional chaos, ultimately and unfortunately,
it is met with a lackluster ending.
After investing an hour and a half into this
messy and complicated family, I was hoping
for an ending that fit the bill. But that’s
life– unpredictable and sometimes: disappointing.
While it wasn’t as hard-hitting or
impressionable as I had hoped, The Killing
of Two Lovers is undeniably rich in its visual
aesthetic. It could be argued that it has a slight
case of “style over substance” syndrome,
but overall it is an impressive early feature
from all involved.
Watching The Killing of Two Lovers is best
compared to witnessing a thunderstorm. First,
the calming, almost zen-like rain begins to
intensify, and the ground starts to slightly
tremble with the anticipation of what’s to come.
A bright light flashes, catching you off-guard.
Then a large crash echoes throughout the sky,
causing a range of emotional instability like
panic, bewilderment, or fear. And then it’s
over, just as quickly as it came on.
Distributed by NEON, now available to
rent on VOD. •
The Highs and Lows of a Long Season
By Gregg McMullin
Sometimes a sports season can be long when
a team gets defeated more than expected.
Then there are moments during a season
when you wished it would never end. These
are the highs and lows that many teams face
each year. The baseball team has had many
hiccups this season, and the softball team
is trying to overcome injuries. The boys’
basketball team is so fun to watch while the
girls are in a league filled with talent that has
been a challenge to face. The girl’s lacrosse
team’s regular season winds down before the
playoffs, and the girls’ soccer team is playing
in the CIF Southern Section playoffs.
Eagles Continue CIF Girls’
Soccer Playoff Run
The Eagles CIF Southern Section playoff
run took them to a first-round matchup on
the road in the high desert at Granite Hills. It
was a challenge to battle the 85-degree heat
A Look at 2020 Softball
Submitted by Jordan Lane
2020 was a rough year for all. This is especially
true for our kids who love playing
sports. In the summer of 2020, a group of
El Segundo parents decided to try to make
lemonade out of lemons (while wearing masks
and applying lots of hand sanitizer). They
rallied a group of ten-and eleven-year-old
girls, who had been playing softball together
for years, to try to get out and play. No
parks, no fields, no games, no problem. This
determined group met a few times a week,
literally practicing on patches of grass and dirt
wherever they could be found. Determination
paid off as they soon found some open fields
in different parts of Los Angeles and began
holding practices a few times a week.
By late summer this team of friends decided
to enter softball tournaments. They selected
the El Segundo appropriate name, Eagles, and
headed to Utah for a National Tournament.
After a shaky start the earned a second place
in their division.
Momentum started to pick up. In the fall,
the Eagles went on the road to Nevada where
they took first place in a regional tournament.
Then, they were back to Utah in early 2021.
They amazingly earned first place again, this
time playing in 12u division for the first time.
The Eagles have now qualified for a national
tournament in Des Moines, Iowa starting July
13th. They are eager to represent themselves
and by association, the town of El Segundo,
on a large stage.
To say that this rag tag team born in the
depths of a global pandemic was a highlight of
an otherwise challenging time is an understatement.
These girls love being together on and
off the field, have worked hard and can’t get
enough softball. We are so proud of them for
their dedication and commitment to the game
and we know they are excellent representatives
of our amazing small town. Exciting times
are on the way and the Eagles will be putting
El Segundo on the map! The Eagles are Ava
Waters, Brooke Englehart, Catherine Reed,
Daniella Benjamin, Ella Sabosky, Grace Linares
B., Kathleen Lane, Layla Yermian, Madeline
Ferrier, Maya Bonner, Molly McAndrews,
Olivia Galaviz and Sadie Gramajo. •
The Eagles Softball Team
The Killing of Two Lovers, courtesy NEON.
Morgan Rojas
See Eagles, page 11