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There are so many conventional movies about adulterous chance meetings that the prospects of another one wouldn't seem to be too promising. However, director Hans Canosa takes a rather novel approach with this small-scale 2006 indie film in looking at the illicit one-night stand with a pervasive split-screen process. Most often, the two sides reflect the perspectives from the man and woman at the center of the story, and at other times, we see their individual memories as flashbacks to their youthful courtship. Initially, the gimmicky aspect of watching the duality of the action is rather jarring, but it gradually becomes a dramatically effective means for exhibiting the dynamics of the two characters in real time. Gabrielle Zevin's sharply delineated, often amusing dialogue also helps to bring an immediacy to what could have been a predictably drawn situation.

The intimate, verbose plot itself turns on several contrivances, some more forgivable than others (like the absence of names for the lovers and the misunderstanding arising from matching cell phones). Regardless, it's really the adroit charm and emotional dexterity of the actors that sets this movie apart. Playing yet another rascally man-child, Aaron Eckhart adds shades of mid-life romantic vulnerability that make his character likeably flawed. But the picture really belongs to Helena Bonham Carter's richly textured performance as the woman, easily her best work since 1997's "The Wings of the Dove". As a complacent married woman who feels herself hurtling palpably toward forty, she provides such revealing nuance with each scene that I ended up wondering more about her character's fate than his. With her sad dark eyes and pouty mouth, she looks more like legendary French actress Jeanne Moreau as the years pass.

Shot in only thirteen days and with a running time of only 84 minutes, the movie is quite small in scope, but it is also a relatively undiscovered gem that will hopefully take on new life on DVD. Speaking of which, the 2007 DVD has a surprisingly robust number of extras beginning with Canosa's thoughtful commentary track. Also included are an entertaining 25-minute interview with an easily bantering Eckhart and Carter from the Telluride Film Festival; an insightful five-minute short with the director showing a demo of his dual-camera film-making technique; a helpful four-minute explanation of why split-screen was used specifically for the film; and a less interesting, more technical twenty-minute demonstration of how Canosa used Apple Final Cut Pro software to make his complex edits.

Given the way the story is told, "Conversations with Other Women" plays out as somewhat of a romantic mystery demanding a slow, selective unraveling by a keen audience. It follows two deliberately unnamed characters (a man and a woman) through the latter part of a wedding reception and holds on them through their evening together. Earlier works like Richard Linklater's duo "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset" come instantly to mind. Although it might not literally be conveyed in real time, there's such immediacy to the conversation that ensues. Like Linklater's films the dialogue heavy film never feels overbearing and stage-like, possibly due to the writing and possibly due to the visual technique that will no doubt color many reviews and comments about the film. It's told with a constant use of split-screen, in an attempt to present two perspectives. Mostly the use of this style assists with pacing, and never fully follows through on the promise of conveying opposing story lines. Regardless the choice to use split-screen never becomes flashy, like it did in when it came into vogue in the mid-1960s, but it does seem more fueled by digital ability than narrative necessity. Whether it's this curious technique, the impressive performances of Aaron Eckhart and Helena Bonham Carter, or the subtle screen writing, "Conversations with Other Women" seems to effortlessly become one of those quickly cherished works that demands you hang onto every word, every gesture. It's really a beautiful work and has the potential to become a classic love story couples and hopeless romantics will go to for years to come. But it very likely won't.

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.

This movie is definitely unique in many aspects, i loved how the characters and every scene felt so real and sincere, the lead actress did amazing job she delivered a brilliant performance, they both did actually and i really connected with them and believed their history, the technical aspect was creative too and i liked how it was shot, it was such a cute journey to go through.

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.

A man (Aaron Eckhart) and a woman (Helena Bonham Carter) start flirting at a wedding. She's a last minute bridesmaid who hasn't been that close to the bride Susie (Brianna Brown) for a time. She's married to a cardiologist and he's the bride's brother. They may have a past. A mysterious girl (Nora Zehetner) has a relationship with a guy (Erik Eidem). There's an annoying videographer (Thomas Lennon) and a nosy bridesmaid (Olivia Wilde).

I love the pairing of Carter and Eckhart. They are fun and touching. She is brilliant. If the movie is simply them together, I would recommend the heck out of it. Indie director Hans Canosa is using the split screen technique to add visual spice. It's mostly distracting and oddly very static. I want to stay closer to the actors but the split screen puts a certain distance from them. There is a wonderful relationship movie here if Hans forgets about the split screen.

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.

Ever seen an entire movie in split-screen? First it's pretty cool and a little disorienting, then it seems a little unnecessary and gimmicky, and finally you get used to it. Was the movie better for it's rather unique approach? Maybe a little bit. It certainly wasn't worse. I appreciate what the filmmakers were trying to do, at the very least.

As for the movie itself, it's an interesting take on the romantic genre.  A man meets a woman at a wedding reception, and it's slowly revealed that they have a history together. A history that isn't quite finished, despite the years that have passed since they've seen each other. You learn about their past and their present concurrently, thanks to the previously mentioned split-screen wizardry.

Check it out if you're interested in an adult relationship story, with a bit of an experimental indie spin. I enjoyed it. I may have only decided to see it because of Olivia Wilde's small part, but it ended up being one of the more memorable and honest movies of this type that I've seen.

I approached this movie with high expectations but was soon disappointed. The split screen turns out to be simply distracting, especially when passers-by cross in front of the main characters to no clear purpose. This cinematic technique begins to feel like the director's indulgence - and never mind the audience. Worse still, the characters are so poorly matched - a rather aristocratic looking (in a stereotypical 'English' way) female with a guy who looks as though he just came from standing in with the Monkees. Wooden acting, dreary dialogue and a complete lack of spark between the actors.

A lot of unkind adjectives could be attached to this movie - and have been - but in simple terms it is just colossally boring.

This film is a bit different than most because is filmed for dual screen, meaning that during every scene there are 2 cameras capturing the action. Usually we are shown the same event from different angles, other times the 2 sides are splits in time, so we see the past and present. The main characters, played brilliantly by Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhart, meet as participants in a wedding and rediscover their past. The dialog is brilliantly written and the acting superb. In the question and answer session after the screening, Ms. Carter was asked if the split screen made acting more difficult. She replied that unlike the shooting of a "normal" movie where they would have to shoot each person's part separately then take a break and move the camera and do the other person, with both camera's running at the same time, the whole scene could be shot nearly continuously allowing for a more realistic conversation situation. This made things much easier, but she did admit she missed having any "down time" since she was always in front of one of the cameras.

This entire movie is split screen- with two 4:3 aspect ratio squares that occasionally meld into each other. At first, it is extremely disorienting and a bit annoying- get used to missing something because there's just too much to take in during the first sitting. After a while your eyes adjust to this new form of movie watching and it can become quite entertaining- but you really have to stay sharp and pay attention or watch it a few times.

THis is a chemistry and dialog movie- there's some decent chemistry between the leads but I wouldn't exactly call it scorching hot. This movie is 93% dialog with a small slice of set changes and a very small shaving of sex. This could wind up being really bloody boring if you watch it when you are not in the mood for the vibe of this flick. This is fluffy date movie crap with a more mature tone to it but at the end of the day it's still a bunch of cotton candy for girls.

THE PLOT:

A woman who has a past with the brother of the bride at a wedding becomes a last minute bridesmaid. THe rest can be chalked up to alcohol, what happens to women's sexuality directly after a wedding and reliving old times for old times sake and not much else, much to the disappointment of our male lead who winds up begging a lot- which can be a bit lame.

THis is one of the more mature wedding films you are going to see and all in all I think it is very watchable but a bit off on the chemistry side of things- the director didn't really delve into the fact that a woman who really has a "thing" for a guy she "shouldn't" sleep with actually becomes MORE turned on by the concept of potentially having sex with him-the whole alpha male bad-boy thing- it's been working for centuries now. I think the woman was written incorrectly- she would have been wilder IMHO.

This split screen hard to watch. That combined with boring uninteresting dialogue that had no direction was so bland! The acting was not horrific but a drag where both actors have completed better performances in the past. Carla Brunis singing killed me in a bad way and hurt was irksome Overall my expectations were high and were let down a load and I can no believe the ratings people have delivered so far. I thought humanity had better taste yet I seem to have been let down Once again. In future I will be sure to steer clear of this director as this film Is an insult to the film industry. All in all it is an incredibly boring movie that Up me to sleep in no time. I don't even know why I bothered to write this review Considering I hated it so much! Don't watch this movie whatever you do!

An interesting idea for a movie is splitting the screen and letting dual realities run along a very similar plot. What the director is trying to suggest? The different perspective of the same situation as viewed by different genders? The infinite possibility of infinite possibilities? A clever trick to turn an otherwise slow moving meet-cute into something artsy? I don't know. The premise doesn't entirely work for me though as the more jesting aspects of my nature keep imaging the Batphone ringing at some point. Other than that there isn't much for me to say about the movie other than I think it's a more toned down, less passionate, more conservative version of the characters from Linklater's Before Sunrise movies. And Aaron Eckhart who normally seems to be a terrible terrible actor manages to actually pull off some adequate acting. I still would have chosen another lead though. Fans of Robocop may not be entertained.

5 out of 10

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

It's been a while since I've seen a movie that has dialog so compelling that it can be the core of the entire movie. I can hardly believe how drawn I was to what was going on between the main characters - all while knowing that the plot very limited.

Basically, the movie is about 2 middle-aged adults who reconnect after more than 10 years at a wedding. This movie follows their very candid conversation over the next 12 or so hours.

While not a whole lot happens plot-wise in the movie, the dialog is so intense and infused with provocative innuendo that everything that does happen ends up having a significant impact on the viewer. The buildup to everything that occurs is so different than in other movies that one has to credit the director, script/story writers and actors for the brilliant result.

The movie uses split screen format to show you two angles of the same scene or two totally different scenes (like the current scene and a flashback). With such a limited plot and visual material, doing something like this helps to make the film more visually interesting.

If your open to watching a movie built on very clever relationship-oriented dialog between two people, definitely check this movie out. It's better than it sounds.

The flirtation starts off innocently enough.Using the split screen is a brilliant device for flashbacks.

Of course, the flirtation turns out to be the rekindling of an earlier romance, which is what this movie is all about. These people knew each other in an earlier life, having had a childhood fling.

Juxtaposing one's early life against the conservative patterns that we all seem to be heir to, is at the heart of the movie.

No doubt all of us sometime try to imagine what life would have been if one's first love had been pursued.

This movie answers that question - you can't go home again. There was a good reason why the first one did not last, but one has to relive it to understand it.

That is the theme of this movie.Well done. Good acting. A beautiful actress, and a handsome lead man.

The storyline for this film is fairly simple: A man (played by Aaron Eckhart) meet a woman (Helena Bonham Carter) at a wedding reception in New York. The pair have an instant mutual attraction, but she has only one night to stay before flying back to her husband in England. But, have this couple met before?

This is a very engaging piece, almost entirely a two-hander between Eckhart and Carter. The whole film is shot in split-screen which mostly works quite well, although it does occasionally get irritating. It's a dialogue-driven film and benefits enormously from an intelligent and amusing script, very well-played by the two leads who succeed in making their not entirely sympathetic characters engaging.

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.

They very much have a physical attraction for one another, and he loves her, and would go back to her in a heartbeat. She on the other hand does not feel the same way. It would appear she has not truly loved anyone, and although, she most definitely feels something for him, it is not enough to make her change her present way of life. It is the kind of work that you feel you must see again, to help get some of the background story straight. Is what happened, actually what you're thinking happened. These two actors both do a great job in this production, they are a pleasure to watch... the prolonged scene where they're getting undressed to go to bed is especially good. They are both the type you can probably not think of a movie where you didn't somewhat enjoy their performance. Story's don't always have to be complicated, just well written, produced, and performed. Sounds so simple.. then why are they so many more times not as good as this very worthwhile little film. This one is surely going into 'the library' for future viewing.

There are several things that are vital and basic to the importance of a successful film. First is the screenplay. Then acting. Then sets. The further down the list we go, the less important the items are to the success of the movie. But if you screw up too many of the latter items, the earlier ones begin to falter because of them, and this is why CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER WOMEN failed as an entertainment venue.

The screenplay was well done, focusing on two people with no names ("Man" played by Aaron Eckhart and "Woman" by Helena Bonham Carter). They "meet" at a wedding in Los Angeles and sexual sparks begin flying. Man makes several flirting attempts and Woman knocks him down. But Man persists and eventually succeeds in getting to Woman's hotel room. Here we begin to suspect and learn much about this pair. They are not strangers and have a destructive relationship from years before. In the end, Woman must fly back to London in the morning while Man returns to his much younger girlfriend.

The acting of Eckhart and Carter is admirable and their line deliveries are pithy, funny, and often heart-wrenching.

Where we come into problems is on almost every other level of the film. First we have to mention the title of the film, Conversations With Other Women. Titles are important to viewers. They help tie the story being told with what's been advertised. But this title has absolutely nothing to do with the story, as there is only one woman and they do much more than simply converse.

Once we enter the hotel room, the sets become very dark and almost grainy. The sex scene is practically non-existent and very forced.

And finally we have to look at the entire film being done in split screen. The big question is why? Doing art for the sake of art is ridiculous and many viewers may come away feeling as if director Hans Canosa used this medium simply to create "something different." That's bad. Very bad. This may not have been Canosa's intention, but it certainly comes off feeling that way. It added a major distraction to the enjoyment of the film rather than giving it any sense of originality.