This review was originally published on Facebook on August 25th, 2015.
This is a tricky one to review, as it’s technically not one, not two, but a whopping THREE movies in one, all of which were apparently given a theatrical release. Of course, the main question some of you will have is obvious: Do I really need to see all three movies to get the whole story?
And I’m not going to lie to you, having watched all three over about a week-and-a-half period; the answer is an unequivocal no. However, what I will say is that eagle-eyed viewers (and listeners) will undeniably have a different experience with all three films, and I can’t imagine one not having an opinion as to which one they like best overall.
As you might have guessed from the subtitles, each of the three films is told from a unique perspective. “Him” tells the story from the perspective of Conor, played by James McAvoy (Atonement, the last two X-Men movies), “Her” is from the perspective of Eleanor Rigby (Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty) herself. (She is, yes, named after the Beatles song of the same name, which is addressed in the movie, though the song itself is not present- probably far too expensive to secure the rights for a small independent film like this one.) Finally, “Them” is a compilation of moments from both films rolled into one.
As you might have guessed, the latter version is the result of the studio somewhat balking at the idea of releasing two different films about the same couple and plot-line. Though that’s exactly what did end up happening, the third, “Them” version had the wider release, as one might expect. To that end, I watched that one first, not sure if I wanted to watch two different versions of the same film if I didn’t even like one of them.
Though ultimately that proved to be a mistake, for reasons I’ll get into later, I don’t necessarily regret doing it that way, as the repetition of doing so allowed me to catch things I might not have otherwise. For, you see, there actually are subtle differences between each of the versions, and they almost completely change the vibe of each of the versions. For instance, Conor is entirely more sympathetic in “Him” and “Her” than he is in “Them,” and Eleanor is actually less sympathetic in “Him” than in either “Her” or “Them.”
As such, each version is its own viewing experience overall, which is kind of neat. So, to me, the actual way to go is to watch, in this order: “Him,” then “Her.” In that way, you get what I feel is the “true” story, as opposed to the “Them” version, where a lot is compromised. Further, the pacing in “Him” and “Her” is much more preferable to “Them”- which might seem weird considering that it contains material derived from both- and yet, such is the case, nonetheless.
The thing about the separate versions is that it gives both of the main characters’ stories room to breathe, whereas the “Them” story vacillates between the two, which might serve as a solid solution to people who don’t care to watch two separate films about the same essential plot-lines, but also heavily compromises the filmmakers’ intentions in the process.
Also, consider this: the story revolves around the dissolution of a relationship after a series of tragedies befalls the main couple. In “Them,” we practically wallow in that tragedy, as the filmmaker, writer/director Ned Benson, is driven by necessity to distill his premise into one film, forcing him to excise a lot of the lighter-hearted moments in the process, as well as some key moments that simply don’t have the same impact in the “Them” version as they do in the other versions.
As a direct result, “Them” is kind of mopey and dreary- and, at over two hours long, a bit of a slog. Therefore, even though watching “Him” and “Her” separately is a grand total of well over three hours long, it just plain works better that way because the story is quite simply told better in that fashion.
Let me explain a bit further, and in clearer terms what I mean. In “Him,” we get the events in question exclusively from Conor’s point-of-view. If he’s not involved in it, we don’t see it. As such, Eleanor is barely in his version, but we also get key moments that hit much harder than they would otherwise.
For instance, in the “Them” version, Eleanor really does just seem to disappear from Conor’s life without warning or explanation. We see the tragedy that leads to this, but to us, it seems like Conor has no idea whatsoever what has really happened, nor any chance to talk to his wife about why it happened and what her thought process was leading up to it. She really does just vanish.
Whereas, in “Him,” we actually don’t see the tragedy that leads to it, like we do in “Them,” right up front. Instead, we discover it through his eyes, as he rushes to the hospital and has a frank discussion with his wife- which isn’t even in the “Them” version- but which explains her motives and makes all the difference. It’s only after this post-tragic confrontation that she “disappears.”
What’s more, what she says in that conversation pays off heavily in the “Her” version in a way that is completely different- not to mention much more satisfying- than in “Them,” where the same scene is edited completely differently, changing the tone of it entirely. You don’t get that movie-to-movie pay-off if you only watch “Them” and don’t watch “Him” and then “Her”- and in that order.
Further, in “Him,” there’s a wonderful bookend scene in which we see the couple in their early days doing the “dine and dash” thing, which is later repeated by an unrelated couple in the present of the film’s timeline, with a decidedly different outcome which says a lot about Conor and where he is in his life at that moment.
The former scene is in the “Them” cut, but not the latter one, so it just plays as a “fun” couple moment that we’ve seen in a million rom-coms. In the “Him” version, that seemingly tossed-off moment has a much-bigger, richer impact that you don’t get in the “Them” version because of said pay-off.
There’s even subtle little differences in the dialogue and who does what. For instance, there’s a Han Solo/Princess Leia-type moment in which one of the characters says, “I love you,” then the other says “I know.” In “Him,” it’s delivered by one to the other, in “Her” it transfers over to the complete opposite.
It’s a wonderful moment for those paying attention because it’s like that moment in Lost Highway, where the main character says: “I like to remember things my own way…not necessarily they way that they happened.”
In “Him,” we get precisely that: Conor’s version of events, the way he experiences and remembers them, and in “Her,” we get Eleanor’s in the same way, both from their POV. As such, Eleanor is barely in “Him” and Conor is barely in “Her,” and it just works better, because first we see Conor losing her in “Him,” then we see what she’s been doing all this time, in “Her.”
Finally, we also get to spend more time with each of the supporting characters in the separate versions. In “Him,” we get more of the wonderful Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones) as Conor’s dad, and Bill Hader (SNL) as his best friend, in a wonderful turn that’s both funny and effectively honest and real. While in “Her,” we get more time with William Hurt (Altered States) and Isabelle Huppert (I Heart Huckabees) as Eleanor’s parents, the endearing Jess Weixler (Teeth) as her sister, and the wonderful Viola Davis as her teacher. Who doesn’t want that?
With much more room for these characters to spread their wings in, it feels far less oppressive- and depressing, I might add. Yes, the essential material is still dark, but there’s more of a balance of light and dark in the separate versions- it’s not so gloom and doom as the “Them” version, IMHO.
Not to mention, you get the makings of a way forward in the “Her” version that makes for much happier ending than the one in the “Them” version, where it seems a bit anticlimactic in a “ships passing in the night, never to meet again” sort of way.
Not that every movie should have a happy ending, mind you, but you see how much better you feel about that ending when you’ve spent three hours plus with these characters than a relatively scant two hours, only to get a bummer ending to an already bummer movie.
So, there you go. While I’ll allow that this won’t be for everyone, it’s certainly a remarkable achievement for a first-time feature- or features, as it were- from Benson. It’s also worth reiterating that the cast is fantastic across the board.
So, yeah, go on and bite the bullet and watch “Him” and “Her,” in that order, and you won’t regret it half as much as you will if you split the difference with “Them,” trust me. The plus side is, if you buy it, you get all three versions, so you can always watch them all at your own leisure, as I did. Whatever the case, this one is a keeper. Check it out!
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