''Two Friends'' (stylized as ''2 Friends'') is a 1986 Australian television

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Jane Campion Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion (born 30 April 1954) is a New Zealand filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed films ''The Piano'' (1993) and ''The Power of the Dog (film), The Power of the Dog'' (2021), for ...

. It was screened in the

Un Certain Regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films with unusua ...

section at the

1986 Cannes Film Festival The 39th Cannes Film Festival took place from 8 to 19 May 1986. American filmmaker Sydney Pollack served as jury president for the main competition. British filmmaker Roland Joffé won the ''Palme d'Or'', the festival's top prize, for the drama f ...

.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p157 The film is Campion’s first feature as a director.

Plot

The film begins in the present and works backward in time to show how Louise and Kelly, once inseparable best friends, grew apart over the course of a year. Louise is a studious high school student and has a typical love-hate relationship with her divorced mother. Kelly, who has bleached hair and identifies with the

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

style, lives with friends at the beach and experiments with drugs and casual relationships. The film progressively shows the subtle changes that set the two girls on different paths.

Cast

* Kris Bidenko as Kelly * Emma Coles as Louise *

Kris McQuade Kris McQuade (born 1952) is an Australian actress who has had many film, television and theatre roles. Career McQuade's film credits include '' The Love Letters from Teralba Road'', '' Kostas'', '' Fighting Back'', '' Lonely Hearts'', '' Goodby ...

as Janet, Louise's mother * Peter Hehir as Malcolm * Kerry Dwyer as Alison * Stephen Leeder as Jim * Debra May as Chris, Kelly's mother *

John Sheerin John Sheerin is an Australian actor. He played lead roles in the TV movie ''Robbery (1985 film), Robbery'' and the TV series ''Chances (TV series), Chances''. Other screen roles include ''Joh's Jury'' and ''Perhaps Love (1987 film), Perhaps ...

as Dead Girl's Father * Sean Travers as Matthew * Emily Stocker as Soula * Lynne Murphy as School Principal * Giovanni Marangoni as Renato * Benny Ulizzi as Sam * Rory Delaney as Wally *

Tony Barry Tony Barry (28 August 1941 – 21 December 2022) was an Australian actor and activist best known for his television and film roles. Personal life Barry was born in Ipswich, Queensland, on 28 August 1941. He had one son. Barry was an environmen ...

as Charlie *

Steve Bisley Steve Bisley (born 26 December 1951) is an Australian writer, film and television actor. He is best known for his roles in the films ''Mad Max'' (1979) and ''The Great Gatsby'' (2013). On television, some of his better-known roles include Dete ...

as Kevin

Release

The film was selected to screen in the

section at the

. It later aired as a

telefilm A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrestr ...

on Australian TV on 26 September 1986. The film was also given a two-week limited theatrical run in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

on 24 April 1996.

Reception

The film was positively reviewed and has a rating of 100% based on eight reviews on website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

. Writing of the 1996 US theatrical release, critic Alison Macor of ''

The Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogra ...

'' wrote ''Two Friends'' is “a spare film with complex and subtly developed relationships… ndfeatures nuanced performances that suggest the more developed characterizations that resound so effectively in Campion's acclaimed later films '' Angel at My Table'' and ''

The Piano ''The Piano'' is a 1993 historical romance film written and directed by New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion. It stars Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, and Anna Paquin (in her first major acting role). The film focuses on a mute Sc ...

.”'' In a retrospective essay for ''

Senses of Cinema ''Senses of Cinema'' is a quarterly online film magazine founded in 1999 by filmmaker Bill Mousoulis. Based in Melbourne, Australia, ''Senses of Cinema'' publishes work by film critics from all over the world, including critical essays, career ...

'', Gwendolyn Audrey Foster wrote, “What makes the film so remarkable is the depth of feeling that inhabits the work. Campion doesn’t miss the smallest detail, from telephone calls that go on too long; to bullying by students at school; to other, minor characters whose fates we will ever know; parents who have no idea who their child really is.”

Accolades

The film won three 1987 AACTA Awards including "Best Telefeature" category for producer

Jan Chapman Jan Chapman (born 28 March 1950) is an Australian film producer. Films produced by Chapman include '' The Last Days of Chez Nous'' (1992), ''The Piano'' (1993), '' Love Serenade'' (1996), ''Holy Smoke!'' (1999), and ''Lantana'' (2001). While s ...

, "Best Achievement in direction in a telefeature" for

, and "Best Screenplay in a Telefeature" for

Helen Garner Helen Garner (née Ford, born 7 November 1942) is an Australian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist. Garner's debut novel, first novel, ''Monkey Grip (novel), Monkey Grip'', published in 1977, immediately established her ...

. Emma Coles and

were both nominated in the category of "Best Performance by an Actress in a Telefeature.”

References

External links

* *
Two Friends
' at

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was ...

*
Two Friends
' at CombustibleCelluloid.com
''Two Friends''
at Oz Movies {{DEFAULTSORT:Two Friends 1986 independent films 1986 films 1986 drama films Australian drama television films Films directed by Jane Campion Australian independent films 1980s female buddy films 1980s feminist films 1980s coming-of-age drama films