The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him and Her and Them

(Aaaah look at all the lonely people...) Every story has two sides.

I've had the pleasure of having a very different experience Ned Benson's The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby tonight. What is so different about it was that it is a two piece movie and each pieces separately are very mediocre. However, when you see both of them... It is spectacular. It is like a puzzle on a film roll.

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby consists of two parts: him and her. I chose to see him first. I don't think it really matters which one you see first much but I was happy with my choice of seeing him first then her.

Basically the movie is about a married couple who lost their toddler and lost their way after this tragic event. The scenario is a realistic tragedy story. What makes the movie so special is that you actually experience the lives of Connor and Eleanor while watching their side of the movie.

Before I have seen the movie I've read a review and whoever wrote it really have articulated my feelings: It is like listening to both sides after a breakup, from different perspectives.

While watching "Him" you see the story from the eyes of Connor. How his wife took it so badly and how selfish she looked. How he tried to save their relationship even when he was also hurting from their lost. How life was going on. Eleanor was the worst in my eyes.

Then I saw "Her" and I understood why. Why she did what she has done and why she disappeared. How her depression escalated and how she did her best to survive while trying to protect Connor in her mess.

What was really fascinating was that, we saw the same scenes in their shared scenes but in each part there were nuances and these nuances represented their point of view. Most likely how they remembered that moment. How they felt and what they thought it meant. And you live that story that moment with them and feel what they feel.

What I have always loved about movies is that it gives me the opportunity to live different lives with every different story and every different character. What is important is that the film must be able to take you in make you feel it. In this movie however, I have experienced something that I've never had before: I didn't feel like I was that character but that I were friends with them. And it was like they shared their stories with me.

The feeling was nothing but... precious. That is the exact word I need to describe this movie.

For the people who don't have the time or the patience to watch the same story from two different perspectives, there is also a "Them" version. But I have seen that one too and it doesn't give the same effect as watching them separately. When you watch "Them" you watch a common story of tragedy that has a lot less insights. If you are interested, I recommend you strongly to watch "Him" and "Her" separately.

Thank you for reading my humble opinion.