Summary
The Four of Us explores the refreshing ideas of modern-day relationships. It’s reflective and comes with a predictable twist and a good laugh.
This review of the Netflix film The Four of Us does not contain spoilers.
Before we start, let’s try to list all the swap things you’ve done with your partner. Swap clothes? Check. Swap toothbrushes? Well, maybe you have or haven’t. Swap blanket or other important stuff? Check. Swap password? Well, I’d prefer not to. But what if I dare you to do something experimental like switch partners with your friends for a whole month? Well, hold your glass, because Netflix’s The Four of Us is here to tell you something.
The Four of Us (originally title Du Sie Er & Wir), is a German romantic drama directed by Florian Gottschalk and written alongside Florian Von Bornstadt. It’s 88 minutes and comes with English dubbing and subtitles. The story revolves around two couples, Nils (Jonas Nay) and Maria (Paula Kalenberg) and Ben (Louis Nitsche) and Janina (Nilam Farooq). After the four friends’ partner swap experiment takes a turn, four friends arrive at a remote beach hut to face the fallout and purge themselves of deeper truths. The Four of Us offer absorbing ideas of experimental love. It is probably not something that we’ll do only for the sake of fun in real life.
It explores the ideas of modern-day relationships while tempting the characters to find the answer that lies within the intense emotion and human frailty towards love, lust, and sex. It’s a reflective drama with a predictable twist. I find it interesting how the direction of the movie feels light yet rich in motion. You’ll still find a good laugh along the way. It does not get too deep within the core of the issues, yet it also reflects how relationships nowadays go, right? The dialogue is genuine and witty. It’s more like watching a day-to-day convo that we all can relate to at some point. From witnessing the couples talking about polygamy, sexual orientation to childfree. The Four of Us manages to bring all sorts of modern-day relationship issues in the most effective way possible.
Another aspect to look forward to is the dynamics between the characters. It’s a movie that focuses more on the dialogue and motions that come from gaze, body language; it comes with bold narratives rather than actions. You’ll also find the process of the couples rebuilding their intimacy and trust after one of the couples breaks the rules of having “no sex” intriguing. How each character spends their time adjusting, re-evaluating their feelings, and discussing how they’ll mend the situation over the relationship. The Four of Us is primarily shot indoor despite being set in a beach house but still serves us with delightful chemistry and relatable conversation. The eye-gazing contest is probably one of the most impactful scenes in the entire movie. No dialogue, pure emotions.
So does sleeping with someone else mean to love? I choosing to be childfree a sin? Can you fall out of love to finally be in love with another’s partner? Or can you mend a broken trust? Well, if you want to know the answer and how everything unfolds then it’s time to stream it.
What did you think of the Netflix film The Four of Us?
