Rigby: "We will never get to where we were" Conor: "Where was that?" Rigby: "Some place good"
Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival #5
Man I can't believe for how long I've been hearing about this film, probably since early 2013. It's been well over a year since it premiered at Toronto with glaring reviews, with Oscar buzz surrounding it, and it seemed like a winner since it was in the hands of someone like Harvey Weinstein. The version I saw though was not the version that was applauded at TIFF, but the shorter version that was shown up at Cannes. This version did not raise that many eyebrows and many called it useless. I was reluctant to see this version (Them) first than to see (Him and Her) like I wanted to, but it was the only option I had so I took it.
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them is Directed by Ned Benson and it stars James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Ciarán Hinds, Bill Hader, Viola Davis, Isabelle Huppert, Nina Arianda, Jess Weixler and William Hurt.
The picture starts with what is one of the film's best scenes. Conor and Rigby run away from a restaurant after realizing that they had no money to pay the bill. The cinematography, the acting, the whole environment created around this scene is something extraordinary, as the whole theater was immediately sucked into the picture, everyone must have been smiling. The sense of joy, excitement and love is tangible. The next time we see our characters though, they are not in the same mood, there's a 360º turn. A bold narrative twist that left the audience a bit surprised. What happened? What happened to the couple that we had just seen on screen? These are the questions that we ask ourselves and these are the questions that the film and its characters tries to hide. Why? Maybe because answering them would be too painful. Because not confronting the "situation" might be easier and less agonizing.
We keep trying to understand what happened, trying to find an answer to those questions through most of the film. Ultimately that's what our characters Conor and Eleanor are doing themselves, trying to deal and coupe with what happened, trying to figure out what happened to those two people that they once were. They are left trying to find that place good. I really liked that the film never threw the answers to our faces, in a big climax where everybody ends up happy and all the questions are answered. Ned Besson gives us enough to keep us engaged, to keep focused and sharp but he never takes the easy paths. His narrative construction was intriguing, the editing of this version was sharp and in the end he didn't have to spell everything out to make a satisfactory, rich and overall engaging (on an emotional and entertainment level) film.
Conor and Rigby, they do live for a little while off the screen. The strong screenplay and natural, fabulous performances by both Chastain and McAvoy make the film shine at times. The supporting characters are more than just background but they are not nearly as established. Some of them still manage to shine, William Hurt as a great scene (the only worth mentioning) where he tells a story, a terrifying memory of his that he hadn't ever told to nobody. Even though we are looking at Hurt, we are indeed transported into his memory in a way. The still sexy Isabelle Huppert also appears (with little to do) and Viola Davis and Bill Hader also show up with funny roles (even though with little meaning or depth)
When the film ended I was left satisfied, but I felt as though there was something missing, maybe that was lost in the cut of this version or maybe it wasn't there in the first place. I will definitely see the three hour two part version (at home or in the theaters in a few weeks). It does have its ups and downs but it's undeniably compelling and I was always involved with these two characters and their story. A story that's smartly built up, that does have its clichés and familiar moments but that in the end raises above the generic, poor romantic films (this one isn't even one of those) because of its strong performance, good direction (from first timer Ned Besson) and moments that capture something true. See it.
Rating:B-
Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival #5
Man I can't believe for how long I've been hearing about this film, probably since early 2013. It's been well over a year since it premiered at Toronto with glaring reviews, with Oscar buzz surrounding it, and it seemed like a winner since it was in the hands of someone like Harvey Weinstein. The version I saw though was not the version that was applauded at TIFF, but the shorter version that was shown up at Cannes. This version did not raise that many eyebrows and many called it useless. I was reluctant to see this version (Them) first than to see (Him and Her) like I wanted to, but it was the only option I had so I took it.
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them is Directed by Ned Benson and it stars James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Ciarán Hinds, Bill Hader, Viola Davis, Isabelle Huppert, Nina Arianda, Jess Weixler and William Hurt.
The picture starts with what is one of the film's best scenes. Conor and Rigby run away from a restaurant after realizing that they had no money to pay the bill. The cinematography, the acting, the whole environment created around this scene is something extraordinary, as the whole theater was immediately sucked into the picture, everyone must have been smiling. The sense of joy, excitement and love is tangible. The next time we see our characters though, they are not in the same mood, there's a 360º turn. A bold narrative twist that left the audience a bit surprised. What happened? What happened to the couple that we had just seen on screen? These are the questions that we ask ourselves and these are the questions that the film and its characters tries to hide. Why? Maybe because answering them would be too painful. Because not confronting the "situation" might be easier and less agonizing.
We keep trying to understand what happened, trying to find an answer to those questions through most of the film. Ultimately that's what our characters Conor and Eleanor are doing themselves, trying to deal and coupe with what happened, trying to figure out what happened to those two people that they once were. They are left trying to find that place good. I really liked that the film never threw the answers to our faces, in a big climax where everybody ends up happy and all the questions are answered. Ned Besson gives us enough to keep us engaged, to keep focused and sharp but he never takes the easy paths. His narrative construction was intriguing, the editing of this version was sharp and in the end he didn't have to spell everything out to make a satisfactory, rich and overall engaging (on an emotional and entertainment level) film.
Conor and Rigby, they do live for a little while off the screen. The strong screenplay and natural, fabulous performances by both Chastain and McAvoy make the film shine at times. The supporting characters are more than just background but they are not nearly as established. Some of them still manage to shine, William Hurt as a great scene (the only worth mentioning) where he tells a story, a terrifying memory of his that he hadn't ever told to nobody. Even though we are looking at Hurt, we are indeed transported into his memory in a way. The still sexy Isabelle Huppert also appears (with little to do) and Viola Davis and Bill Hader also show up with funny roles (even though with little meaning or depth)
When the film ended I was left satisfied, but I felt as though there was something missing, maybe that was lost in the cut of this version or maybe it wasn't there in the first place. I will definitely see the three hour two part version (at home or in the theaters in a few weeks). It does have its ups and downs but it's undeniably compelling and I was always involved with these two characters and their story. A story that's smartly built up, that does have its clichés and familiar moments but that in the end raises above the generic, poor romantic films (this one isn't even one of those) because of its strong performance, good direction (from first timer Ned Besson) and moments that capture something true. See it.
Rating:B-