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

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 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 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 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.