Conversations with Other Women

Hans Canosa makes a strong debut with Gabrielle Zevin's intelligent screenplay (read two character dialogue) CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER WOMEN and while some viewers may be distressed about his choice of use of the split screen presentation, Canosa's decision to be the editor of the film makes a strong argument for his artistic decision. We are able to not only see ell sides of the characters physically, but we are also allowed to step into the 'private space' created by each of the characters, a space that grows in meaning as the film proceeds. For this viewer it enhances the story.

It would be difficult to imagine two finer actors than Helen Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhart to pull off this story. Bonham Carter has flown in form London as a last minute replacement bridesmaid for an old friend and is bored by the wedding until she encounters Aaron Eckhart whom we soon learn is the bride's brother. But coincidences don't stop there: soon the couple decide to have a night together and as they begin to share their current uncomfortable lives they recall that they were young lovers (well played by Erik Eidem and Nora Zehetner in flashbacks) and more than likely were married as first marriages.....but to say more would ruin the repartee that these two brilliant actors enjoy playing against each other.

Canosa manages to create a solid interplay between his actors and then capitalizes on the gifts of each by placing them in simultaneous and revealing views that more that provides his rationale for using the split screens as his technique. Bonham Carter is more beautiful than ever and proves she is one of our finest actresses on film, seen far too seldom these days. CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER WOMEN is a sly look at relationships that slowly creeps up on you as you learn the secrets of each character. It is a fine piece of film-making! Grady Harp

I saw this at the LA Film Festival and frankly was expecting it to be very artsy, interesting, and a real downer. It was far above all those things. The split screen is easy to adjust to and really wraps you in, you're quite fascinated to see what these two people will do next. I loved the set up; it lent itself to a nice surprise for the audience and felt completely natural.

What really shines in this movie is the dialog...it's some of the most brilliant original dialog between two people with a shared past that I've ever heard. During the Q&A afterward, I was actually a bit disappointed the director didn't give the screenwriter more credit for her amazing script (which she wrote in three weeks). It's so engaging and natural, you might guess it was improvised...but 99% came directly off the page.

Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckel really landed plum roles for themselves in this story and I've never loved them more than here. The reviewer who thought Helena was miscast is way off in his perception. It's not about wedding sexual tension (good grief) and it's far from a chick flick...it's about the deep connection between two people regardless of time and similar to "Before Sunrise," etc., yet quite different, but I don't want to spoil it.

The film is touching, very humorous, and deeply thoughtful. You will want to watch it several times to catch all that happens.

The film stats as a casual meeting of a man (Aaron Eckhart) and a woman (Helen Bonham Carter) on the wedding banquet in a New York City Hotel. They seem to know each other and used to be close once. Now she is married to a doctor, the cardiologist, and lives in London. He has a steady girlfriend, a "23 on August 12" Broadway Show Dancer. They seem to like each other and flirt innocently while drinking champagne, smoking (she is) and dancing. But gradually, apparently forgotten or hidden very deep inside feelings come back to life so intensely that they might (or not) change a man's and a woman's lives again.

This is my kind of film, with only two main characters, with the subtle interaction between them, when we have to rely more on their body languages, their eyes, their facial expressions than to the words that they say to each other. "Conversations with Other Women" is a riveting, bittersweet, honest, and realistic movie about making choices, losses, and regrets. Two people used to be the one world which had split years ago leaving them not just on the different continents but on the different halves of the screen. The film brings to mind Before Sunrise of course but its atmosphere is more sober and melancholic. It is not about possibility of future together, it is all about past. Both actors are excellent. The split screen technique works perfectly for the whole duration of the film. It is a very well made and creative indie picture which I enjoyed watching.

This movie's character development runs more like a play than a film and contains really excellent performances by Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhart. I was initially worried the split-screen effect would be distracting and irritating, however, not so! Splitting the screen allows the viewer to watch each actors performance in more depth, see bits and pieces from the past, as well as what the characters each might be imagining. I'll avoid spoiling any plot details, but will say the performances really do justice to the complexities of romantic relationships. Highly recommended for lovers of character exploration and exploring life's complexities.

I was lucky enough to see this movie on Monday, September 5, the last day of Telluride 2005. There were five other screenings that had sold out before that. I'd heard the about the film, but wasn't sure I had to see it until I read Roger Ebert's review of the film on his website's festival writeup.

I didn't think that a movie made entirely in split screen could be anything but a gimmick. But after seeing the film, I agree with Ebert--the split screen comes to seem necessary. The split screen is used not only to show the simultaneous actions and reactions of both characters, but also shows flashbacks juxtaposed with the present, alternate versions of the present, and moments imagined or hoped by the characters that quickly return to reality. Sometimes the present is fractured into more than one emotion for a given line or action, showing an actor performing the same moment in different ways. The editing is assured and masterful, employing storytelling techniques that couldn't exist without the split screen. The writing is brilliant, full of humor and insight. The movie is like nothing you've ever seen before.

Aaron Eckhart and Helena Bonham Carter are amazing--funny and heartbreaking at the same time. I really can't wait to see this movie again. If a movie ever rewarded two viewings, it's a movie that plays in two frames.