Conversations with Other Women

[bcholmes]

So I saw this slightly out-of-the-ordinary DVD the other night: Conversations with Other Women with Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhart. Mostly, it's a film about two people who encounter each other at a wedding reception, and our understanding of the situation progresses from "two people meet and have a fling" to "these people have a history but haven't seen each other in years".

The principal device used throughout the film is that the screen is split into two halves (left and right). Mostly, we see two angles of the same scene, but sometimes we'll get a flashback in one half of the screen or there will be a slightly different sequence of events on the one side versus the other. It's an interesting use of camera, and it culminates in this one final shot where the Man (Eckhart) and the Woman (Bonham Carter) are in separate cabs to the airport, but the two halves of the screen finally align perfectly, giving the appearance of them being together when we know that they're apart. It was an interesting experiment with the medium.

Comments

Strangely enough....

[dragon3.livejournal.com]

I watched the same DVD the other night and also found it interesting, even if the topic put me off a little.

[kightp.livejournal.com]

Oooh, thanks. I rent so many DVDs to watch while I'm knitting that I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting films, especially ones that try to break out of the tired old formulaic molds, whether they're entirely successful or not. I've added this one to the little list I carry in my wallet.

Speaking of which: I can recommend the Brazilian film "House of Sand," just out on DVD. It's stunning.

[bcholmes.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the recommendation; I've noticed House of Sand in my DVD store and have pondered renting it.