The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him

source: The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him

Beautiful movie, sensitive. Loved the him/her versions better as this shows more of each character. Both jessica and james have stunning performances

"Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering." —Nicole Krauss, "The History of Love" "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him" seems like an intermediary phase in the stories of – Conor(James McAvoy) and Eleanor(Jessica Chastain) - where quite is left to be answered. Based on the "Them" version, and in pursuit to know the subjective sides, where they try to reclaim their love and lives in the aftermath of a mutual-tragedy, the male-perspective evolves into Conor being utterly perplexed about their status as a married-couple for been left high-and-dry by the grieving Eleanor, who "kept on walking away" from their painful past. Conor's life been vacated by the death of their infant-son and Eleanor leaving him to apparently "try a different version of herself", all he wished for was "some time to talk it out" before she "disappeared-off to wherever it was she disappeared to", clearly trying to get hold of the present through the past. A little redundancy flows in instances, between this separated couple (not really 'estranged', with unbinding love), due to which, the film raised naturally a lot of doubts about the nature, the causes and the future of Conor and Eleanor's relationship – which could perhaps be best defined on the lines of "existentialism", marked by "a sense of disorientation and confusion in the face of an apparently absurd world" (in this case – a meaningful, yet worthless seeming world in the lives of the protagonists where no sense of belongingness was able to be attained) - the apparent reason when on occasions Eleanor wished to be "(at) someplace good" with Conor, who "went soft" in his ever growing longing for her. Even though, their falling lives couldn't find a ground till the time they do really move away from each other and starting again on different notes – Eleanor going-off (to a French university to study anthropology) and Conor joining his not-so-loved father's (Ciarin Hinds) restaurant business and being present-orienting with his chef-friend Stuart (Bill Hader) and kittenish co-worker Alexis (Nina Arianda) – reaching a point where he could stop regretting his past, and hoping that Eleanor does so too. However, as once William Shakespeare said about not all love-stories have their – "Journeys end in lovers' meeting" – so does this one. However, a surreptitious hint towards a confluence could be seen in its culmination; worthy of the efforts put in while watching the three-parts of this trilogy. Though, one must pay heed to the order – "Them", "Him" and "Her" - to gain a momentum of understanding of a larger picture, in this intricately and meticulously written film by Director Ned Benson. Verdict – A different film-viewing experience, with the subjectivity based versions and a rare on-screen chemistry between McAvoy and Chastain. Rating – 7/10

The love was mutual. But was the sadness mutual? It's okay to be sorrow. It's okay to be not okay. It's legit to do whatever that makes you revive.

One thing that I do like about this film is that when this movie does show scenes where the characters are in love with each other, it's very well done. At least the performances are. When these two are in a scene together, you can get a good vibe of what they're feeling. It could be them in love, depressed, scared, or anything that involves emotion. This movie does focus on the emotion of James McAvoy. It's not just the emotion however. You do know very well that McAvoy is still in love, he cares, and the movie does focus on that, but it also focuses on his work job. That may not seem like it is interesting, but it does add a bit more to what McAvoy's character is dealing with, because it's not going completely well with his work space either. The title of the movie is a good one. It seems like it came from a novel you would find somebody reading at a coffee store, but it is an original title and film. This movie does a decent job on it. Chastain isn't in this movie that much, you are curious where she is when she's not involved in the story. When she does show up, you question what her motivation is to why we're seeing her, and part of the fun is that we have to see the other film to see her motivations and other stuff. My few complaints about this film is that the concept of this story does seem interesting, however it isn't a very compelling story. Like I said, part of it is because we don't know what Chastain's character is thinking, but nothing really grabs you unless it's a scene with McAvoy and Chastain together. Which leads me to a specific scene involved with them. Now I'm not going to spoil it because spoilers are no fun. We really don't know what the real reason is why these two split up and when the movie does reveal why, it gives a bigger impact on how the characters reacted when they're together, which to me, makes those scenes a tiny bit more enjoyable. Also without spoiling anything about the ending, it was very abrupt. I'm pretty sure there is more to it when you see the Her film, but that ending really seemed unnecessary. The concept of the story is being told is interesting. But when it only focuses on James McAvoy's character, the movie isn't the most entertaining and compelling thing. Yet it when McAvoy and Chastain share the screen, it gets interesting because you can feel their emotions and those scenes with them are well done and compelling, especially one scene that is a big part of the story. The ending may make more sense if both films are scene, but Him is a decent movie that might be even more enjoyable once Her is watched.

. . . doesn't make much sense, neither do any of the three versions of THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY (namely, THEM, HER, and this HIM). The third time is NOT always the charm (but HIM rates the best score, as it's much shorter than THEM or HER). If quantity equaled quality, there would be three versions of HEAVEN'S GATE, ISHTAR, and PLUTO NASH, making them hallowed screen classics. The final credits for each of this pretentious RIGBY trio of features list the standard functionaries of "film editor," "script supervisor," and "writer\director." Therefore, what excuse can there be for daring each audience member to slog through five and a half hours (or 325 minutes, to be exact!) of RIGBY raw footage to stitch together an individually unique 75 minutes worth of semi-passable material in the mind's eye? (It's no easier to make a silk purse from three sows' ears--or 325--than it would be to pull off the miracle from just one!) Though it may seem like it from this hash of things, the Rigby cast ain't exactly chopped liver. Finally, while there may be just "50 ways to leave your lover," there's probably more than 100 theories as to how and why Cody died. While Pre-natal Twizzler poisoning and John Lennon's Curse sound tempting to me, my money's on a case of terminal boredom (from being around Conor and Eleanor two whole months, after learning myself what 325 minutes with them does to a person!).

This film tells the story of a couple who separates because of the overwhelming grief caused by the death of their son. The process of grief is told from the man's perspective. "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him" has a lot of footage not shown in "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them", which is a welcomed sign. The story concentrates on James McAvoy trying to get his wife back, the operation of his restaurant and his relationship with his father. Grief is not the emphasis of the plot, and as a result I think the story is not as compelling and captivating. As a standalone film it's good, but it lacks a certain sparkle when compared to "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her". If you want to watch all three of the films, watch Him, then Her, then Them.

A frustrating chapter in the Eleanor Rigby saga, Him sees the focus laid almost solely onto James McAvoy's struggling bar/restaurant owner Conor as he tries to keep both his business and marriage to the inwardly tortured Eleanor afloat. What frustrates most about Him is that it's always close to breaking into affecting territory yet is always bought down by a strange sense of distance between the audience and the characters and McAvoy's Conor never truly becomes someone where wholeheartedly invested in even though his by no means a bad person. Him paints Conor as the victim of a no doubt hard trial, a man who wants nothing more than his wife to love him once more and to have her back no matter the cost. McAvoy's performance is up to his usual standards but there's little questioning we've seen him engage more in numerous other projects. Chastain is strong support but is barely sighted in the films 90 minute or so run time and the majority of backup is from Game of Thrones guest actor Ciaran Hinds and quality character actor Bill Hader. It would've been great for director Ned Bensen to allow us into the history and mindset of Conor more so, therefore getting more emotional punch from a film that as a standalone doesn't add up to a satisfying whole. 2 and a half customer chase downs out of 5

The Disppearance Of Eleanor Rigby (nothing to do with the Beatles song except a brief reference by a character) is a thoughtful, exceptionally well made film about a couple dealing with an immense tragedy that has put a weight on their relationship, forcing them to take some time apart. James Macavoy, an actor who continues to impress, and Jessica Chastain, always amazing, play the two with diligent feeling and palpable hurt. Now, there's three different edits of the film. His, which is mostly his side of events following the breakup, where Macavoy takes center stage and we see his life. Hers, which shows us where Chastain ends up, and how she is coping. The third version, Theirs, is a truncated version of both stories, leaving out a lot of key scenes and important beats. His and Hers together come out to about four hours of movie watching, but if you're going to invest yourself in their story, you owe it to you self to watch them both, starting with His. Because there is four hours of their story, they are allowed to develop and interact in a fashion that feels far more genuine and lifelike than a rushed two and a half hour movie. Macavoy is an aspiring cook who runs a small café with his friend and sous chef (Bill Hader, fiercely funny) and yearns for Chastain, angry at life for throwing them the curveball it did. He moves in with his father (Ciaran Hinds gives phenomenal work), a successful restauranteer. Chastain moves in with her folks as well, played by Isabelle Huppert and William Hurt. Hurt, who hasn't been around that much lately, makes up for that by anchoring a key scene with Chastain. It's interesting that he gets to play her father in a film, because they both share a measured, baleful, hypnotic grace in their work, and seeing them interacting was a treat for me, being an immense fan of both their work. Now, the film is more than the sum of its parts, but I mean that in a good way, since the parts themselves are so brilliantly done as well. It's what we expect from the romantic drama Avenue, but because we see an extended fluidity to the work, a narrative free from the fractured conventions of usual editing styles, we feel right there with our two protagonists, every step of the way. More films should break the mold and try to be more than just segmented movies, and use immersion techniques like this to draw us in. Coupled with that unique method of delivery comes a sincere commitment from actors and director alike, to explore an aspect of life and relationships that many see as unpleasant or upsetting, yet can still make for beautiful work. Well worth a watch.

Hollywood has given us some of the greatest love stories ever told, but they don't always seem real. The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him is just about as real of a story as you will get. Not only does it delve into problems that couples regularly have, but it gives us a sense of what it's like to try and overcome a tragedy close to home. It's not a film I recommend you watch as a "chick flick" or when you're in any sort of good mood. But if you are looking to be a little sad and perhaps wanting to see what it may be like to be in a difficult marriage this is the film for you. The way these two films are told is extremely risky and experimental. I have not seen "Them" but I imagine the films were meant to be separate and not combined into one. "Him" gives us James McAvoy's perspective on the couples attempt to rekindle their relationship. I liked this side a lot more. I guess it could be because I was able to relate more to a man's view on a relationship rather than a woman's? Or maybe it was because this side just flows a little bit nicer. I definitely think this is the film you should watch first. McAvoy's character, Conor Ludlow, acts like any guy would act when his wife or significant other suddenly removes herself from his life. You just want answers, but relationships are never that simple. The film really seems to take the (500) Days of Summer approach of not promising anything clichéd or Hollywood like happening, rather giving their relationship a grounded realistic take. There are quite a few moments of true romance. Lines like "Before you I didn't know who I was" come off as just heartbreaking knowing that this is the same for so many other couples. Love is something that doesn't come easily or without work. But I think if you truly love someone, in the end the effort and sacrifice is all worth it. It's a form of a love story sure, but it became more of a character story of overcoming tragedy and accepting that life does go on after. I would imagine it's something that seems unimaginable, but at the same time unavoidable. I really liked the way the film ended, especially with the music. Although I'm curious to see how they could have ended "Them" knowing they have to accommodate both sides. +McAvoy's real performance +Score & soundtrack +Relatable real life relationship -Can be too depressing at times 8.3/10