The Lovers

Mary and Michael are a long-married couple whose relationship has settled into indifference. Both have taken lovers on the side and seem resigned to the arrangement. Just as they are preparing to end the marriage, an unexpected spark returns between them, leaving the two to carry on their affairs while hiding this renewed attraction from the very people they had turned to.

Azazel Jacobs wrote and directed the film, which followed his 2011 feature Terri and preceded French Exit and His Three Daughters. Debra Winger plays Mary and Tracy Letts plays Michael, with Aidan Gillen and Melora Walters as their respective lovers. Tyler Ross and Jessica Sula appear as their son Joel and his girlfriend Erin. The film runs 94 minutes and was produced by A24.

Released in 2017, the film earned about 2 million dollars worldwide, a modest return. On IMDb it holds a 6.1 rating from roughly 4,500 votes, while on TMDB its rating is 5.4 from a much smaller pool of 97 votes. A critics' rating of 6.8 from 113 reviews places it above both audience scores, suggesting reviewers responded to the film more warmly than general viewers did.