Review of The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her (2014) by W P — 18 Oct 2014

Interesting and innovative filmmaking is increasingly and sadly rare, though this year has been an exception. First, it was Boyhood, filmed over a decade. Now, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her/Him, which is one story, two separate films presented in tandem, reflecting the differing perspectives of a husband and wife coping with the death of their child.

Together, the two films convey a deep and rich portrait of a couple in crisis. Individually, each presents only what that character experiences and recalls, so the only common scenes are those where husband and wife were both present. Those moments where the stories "cross" illuminate their individual states and say a lot about our own perceptual selectivity, especially as we cope with severe tragedy and pain.

When the producer chose also to release The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them, a shorter, combined version, it seems to have been motivated by his own fear. Fear of whether audiences would sit for three hours plus to watch a film that has no explosions or hysterical laughs. Like his film, that real-life decision also demonstrates why it's a bad idea to act out of fear; it may very well have sabotaged his own future with audiences.

What this film has to say simply cannot be conveyed in "Them" and what came out of the editing room was inevitably an empty, confusing mistake that might keep people from seeing the real deal.

If you spent money seeing The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them, just write it off as a mistake. That's what I've done, as I keep reflecting on the insightful The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her/Him, one film I'm liking more every moment.