Review of Conversations with Other Women (2006) by Paul V — 02 Aug 2010

Iâ??ve never seen an entire film done in split-screen, and before I began this one, I had no idea that it was. At first, I thought it was an interesting way to showcase both main characters and other elements of the wedding reception simultaneously, but as the film continued, and remained in split-screen, I became a bit annoyed; the director expected me to watch an entire movie like this, my attention divided between two shots for over an hour? How dare he! Well, not unlike with subtitles the first few times one watches a foreign film, you get used to it quickly enough, and before you know it, the movieâ??s over, and you realize that it was pretty great, and working a little bit to enjoy it was totally worth it.

Would this film have worked so well without the split-screen? I actually do not think so. As it was, you felt like you were a third person in the room the whole time, glancing back and forth between the two leads as you saw fit. What made it really click for me was the intimacy of the whole affair; it seemed like it was all happening live, right in front of you, with real people. If it had cut back and forth between Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhart (plus all the flashbacks and other bits) rather than shown them on-screen at the same time, it would not have been as powerfully real.

Of course, the split-screen effect would not have done much of anything if the characters had not already been so fully realized, and true to life. These werenâ??t idealized lovers in a scandalous affair; they were two lonely, broken and somewhat confused people trying to find some small measure of happiness, even though they know that their decision is a morally wrong one. Emotions and memories bubble to the surface as they would in real life; erratically, and without warning.

By the end of the film, weâ??re left to ponder what the events which transpired between the man and the woman really meant, and what repercussions they will have in their respective lives as they return to them. Conversations with Other Women is a unique exercise in storytelling from different perspectives; a realistic look at two people reminiscing about and trying to rekindle a past relationship, despite its having ended badly the first time round. In the end, itâ??s a surprisingly engrossing film with strikingly realistic performances and more than a few moments of true emotion. Wholly recommended.