dragokin
I opted to see Conversations with other Women only because of the cast. To my surprise this hasn't been merely a romantic comedy, it turned out to be a piece of experimental movie making.In the beginning i expected the split screen to be used in the introductory scenes only. Eventually, it turned out to be the main vehicle for the movie's themes.The split screen fit well with the people separated for years, yet unified in their thoughts and impulses. Whether the authors wanted to say that true love never dies is not important. What matters is that the movie conveys the personal insights of main protagonists ranging from passion to detachment.
rainmanrey
Watching this movie was like watching two incredibly average films at the same time. The story was predictable while the filming and editing was original but annoying. The chemistry worked but still a bit awkward. It wasn't the worst film ever but I could have found something better to do with my evening, I recommend skipping this one as I actually stopped the film at one point to decide if I should go on... If I wasn't twenty minutes out I would have jumped ship, instead I saw what was the only likely ending, as predictable as the credits themselves. So in the end, find something that does not try so hard with artistic camera work and instead makes us love the characters and the story which I found both lacking.
secondtake
Conversations with Other Women (2006)Once you grasp the ingenuity and elegance of the format of this movie, you might see how really smart it is at telling an intimate, meaningful story of two people who love each other. That is, the entire movie is shot in split screen, with the two halves always relating directly. Often, in fact usually, the two are views of the same moment, showing the two main characters, side by side, with slightly different angles.That might not seem like much, but it gives a sense of seeing almost two movies at once, or one movie from two different seats. Then sometimes a slight change occurs, with one side showing an earlier scene (the two had an earlier affair), or a parallel moment elsewhere in the room. And it reminds you of the reality they reside in. What could have been a distancing artistic ploy becomes a simple method for making everything more matter of fact and real. And realism, in this very normal, smart, young couple, is exactly what makes their love, in a second kind of affair, take on depth. Or show its shallowness as a deep kind of truth. One of the two or both! The most obvious parallel is the Ethan Hawke/Julie Delpy moves "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset." In fact, this one is like both put together, since the two relationships between the same two people is assessed at once. It's not perfect, I'm sure of it, but I don't know why, because it surely sets out to do what it intended. Maybe it's so perfectly set up, so neatly packaged, that it feels like a project. But a well done, beautifully done one in its modest, real time directness.
Charlotte Younge
I never would of thought in a million years that Eckhart and Bonham-Carter could pull off a film like this... I mean I had a lot of faith in her, but I was a little weirded out about the two of them together. Let me just say I was already a fan of Zevin's novels (particularly Elsewhere.. yeah I know it's a teen novel but hey, it's a great spin on the afterlife) I just had no idea how great this film was going to be. It was unconventional in the greatest sense... the duo, the plot, the emphasis on how imperfect life is && how you really don't know the next bend in the road or what you have until it's gone...The Carla Bruni soundtrack only adds to the greatness.This film really spoke to me, it really makes me question my life. Am I happy? Or could I be if I had a man by the balls the way Helena's character mastered Aarons'? Oooh but how I wished things could work out! Why does life have to turn into circumstances, that block you from getting what you want? Ah.... I digress. When the movie does end, I'm left choking back tears, but somehow optimistic. I don't know, it just does that to me, and no, it's not because of the upbeat Carla B. song... since this film was so real, you can almost predict what could happen. Definitely a good bittersweet open ending and all I can say is Bravo Conversations with Other Women 10/10.
AD
