In The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them, writer/director Ned Benson reminds us of the movies’ ability to condense time without recurring to extremist formalist methods. The almost-decade-long relationship he explores in the film couldn’t be more affecting or real, even if this was a documentary. Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy play Eleanor and Connor, who we first meet as they share a cute romantic dinner that ends with a misdemeanor and frolicking on the green grass, where Connor puts an ominous end to the enchantment by reminding Eleanor that “there’s only one heart in this body, have mercy on me”. Fade to black and next we know Eleanor is jumping off a bridge.
She doesn’t die, but we understand that The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them won’t be a Nicholas Sparks-like romance, but instead a dissection of what went wrong in a relationship that seemed to start so well. Structured like a detective film (it takes almost half the movie for us to find out why Eleanor tried to kill herself, but more shockingly, we sometimes forget we don’t know the reason!) Eleanor Rigby is comprised of what once made all great films: splendid acting, masterful writing and a lack of irony in its directing and execution.
Benson takes his time revealing secrets, uncovering layers and it’s testament to his great writing that you can sum up the film’s plot in a handful of words, but still are left thinking that a lot has “happened” in the film. The camera follows these characters through seemingly unimportant moments, all of which help, not to tell a story but to reveal the characters’ humanity. The film could’ve very well have been about all the characters pondering what to have for lunch, and it still would’ve felt urgent and alive.
Benson has taken the time to create worthy lives for all of the characters. From Eleanor’s parents played with weary charm by William Hurt and Isabelle Huppert, to her sister played by the scene-stealing Jess Weixler, to Connor’s dad played by the larger-than-life Ciarán Hinds. Anchored by Chastain and McAvoy’s sexy, beautiful performances, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them is often painful to watch, because it feels like it’s holding a mirror to our faces. As is common knowledge, the Them in the title comes from the fact that the film will be followed by individual perspectives of the story called Him and Her. Benson’s greatest feat is that we are left wanting movies about each and everyone of the characters in this one.
