True two-hander films about professional relationships

January 9, 2021 4:24 PM

I'm looking for examples of true two-hander films where the two main characters have a professional helper/helpee dynamic. For example: lawyer/client, psychiatrist/patient, social worker/child. But the film needs to be BOTH their stories, as equally as possible.

A good example of this would be THE INSIDER. Or any other story where we spend roughly the same amount of time with each character and get their respective arcs and backstories, etc. Thank you!

posted by egeanin to Media & Arts (7 answers total)

Best answer: The Intouchables might qualify (I haven't actually seen it, but it's on my list).
posted by Alterscape at 4:51 PM on January 9, 2021

Does it need to be fiction? If not check out the Painter and the Thief.
posted by Carillon at 5:03 PM on January 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

I thought of the Intouchables, but I have seen it and I think the dynamic perpetuates some familiar racial tropes that might be problematic for some.
posted by matildaben at 5:53 PM on January 9, 2021 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I haven't seen the Intouchables, but will check it out (with a critical eye re: racial tropes.) Just wanted to flag that TV and Documentaries won't work for my purposes, but thanks!
posted by egeanin at 6:20 PM on January 9, 2021

Best answer: Philadelphia has this dynamic between Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. They are both definitely main characters, can't remember if they are the only ones though.
posted by TurnKey at 6:24 PM on January 9, 2021 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Steel Toes
posted by bq at 7:08 PM on January 9, 2021

Best answer: Soul
posted by oiseau at 7:25 AM on January 10, 2021