Director
Hans Canosa
Cast
Helena Bonham Carter Woman
Aaron Eckhart Man
Eric Eidem Young Man
Nora Zehetner Young Woman
DVD Release Date: January 9, 2007
Rating: R
Running Time: 84 Minutes
The Movie
A very attractive woman is at the bar of a wedding reception waiting to order her drink. A nice looking man walks up to her and they begin talking to one another. They exchange small casualties as they begin to learn little things about one another here and there. The revelations that each of them does have significant others are very quickly announced as she mentions her husband and he mentions his wife. What can a little casual conversation hurt?
They move to a table and begin discussing the wedding and how they happened to end up there. She knows she was invited as a last minute thing and it happens to be his sister who is getting married. Moving to the dance floor, they begin to share more about themselves such as how they met their spouses and that they would rather not talk about them because it could hinder what may come later.
It is now revealed that they actually do know one another and used to be lovers. After a bit of reminiscing and learning that she moved to London and he remained in New York chasing behind every girl that looked like her from behind but with no success of course. The dance floor is behind them now as it’s only a short elevator ride to her room on the eleventh story. Only the ride seems so much longer then it should be thanks to another bridesmaid coming along for the ride and asking him all about his beautiful and skinny wife Sarah.
The final stop is her hotel room and the difficult decision of whether this should continue or not. Should they go back to the memories they always relive and now reenact them once more? Perhaps he should simply go back to his room for the evening, call Sarah, and go to bed. Meanwhile, she can check her phone and hear the one message she has which is probably from her husband Jeffrey. Or they can continue to discuss all the ramifications and consequences that may or may not come with a one night stand.
Conversation(s) With Other Women is a very unique look at just could possibly go on during a one night stand between two people. From the moment of meeting, all the way through the end; never once do we learn the names of our man and our woman. Everything you could possibly ever want or not want to know about them is revealed except for who they actually are.
What you must know right off the bat is that the entire film is shown in split screen. I’m not exaggerating here and only parts of it are in split screen but it seems like the whole film is. No, from start to finish there are two separate panels giving you a different perspective of one scene or showing two totally different occurrences which are happening at the same time. A lot of times there is simply one side showing the woman and the other showing the man as they have their conversations giving us not only their words but facial reactions to see how they are affected by all going on. At other times, one side will have the present time with the couple while the other side shows a similar scene from their past.
The film itself is not the most entertaining because imagine going to a bar one night and finding two total strangers, or even a couple, and watching them talk, drink, and then go home to have sex and talk some more. The struggles the man and the woman have with not only each other but their own hearts and minds keeps the film flowing nicely though in leaving us wonder exactly how they will end up now after their lives crossing paths again. But the overall feel of the film is elevated by the unique split screen perspective and it keeps things interesting and very fresh. If you grow bored of watching him speak, all you have to do is look to the other side and watch her roll her eyes as he says something about his girlfriend.
It’s a film that shares all the thoughts that go through the minds of those who may commit an act that could change their lives forever. The consequences, the releases, the drama, and the forgiveness. At times it begins to lull a bit as you start to realize there are enough of those very things in your own life. But it’s the small intricacies and unique perspective which the film is laid out that keeps it from becoming boring.
The Video
The film is shown in 16:9 Widescreen format and is some of the best I’ve ever seen. The split screen is what makes this entire film and I think it is quite excellent. Not only is the idea rather new in having the “whole” film like that, but it’s done so incredibly well that you don’t really pay attention to just one side but stay focused on both at the same time.
The Audio
The film is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and is also excellent. There is not much other than dialogue in the entire film, so that is what the sound is able to clearly focus on except for the rare bit of music here and there. What makes the audio unique like the video is how wonderfully it’s done. When there are two totally different scenes/locations in the split screen, both can of course be heard but whichever one is the main focus is a tad bit louder in order to make sure what’s being said can be heard clearly. But watching the film a second time if you desire, you can focus on the small subtle things going on in the other, and often busier, side of the screen.
Special Features
Trailers – Down To The Bone, Stolen, and Brooklyn Lobster
Audio Commentary – Hans Canosa is alone and gives his insight throughout the entire movie which mainly focuses on the split screen. He explains how the idea for it actually came to him in a dream and he decided to make it a reality. Almost everything that happens in the film has some meaning behind it and it’s interesting to see what Canosa’s thoughts were behind putting them in the film instead of just well that is what’s “supposed” to happen.
Interviews With Helena Bonham Carter & Aaron Eckhart – The two leads sit down and simply give their thoughts on the film and what actually drew them into accepting the parts. Nothing more then your common everyday interview on what they think about the film, the fun they had while making it, and the reactions they’ve gotten so far from those who have seen it.
Director’s Demo – Canosa now gives some tips to aspiring directors and filmmakers about the importance of a demo. By having a demo, which in his terms is a completed version of the film which isn’t totally edited or completely cut yet, one can bring it about to executives and get their reactions on different parts of the film that the director may have not wanted to leave in the finished product. Short but informative special feature.
Why Split Screen – Canosa gives his reasoning for making the entire film in a split screen format. Comparing it to the likes of Napoleon and even 24 where split screen was often used to show two things going on at the same time in different places. Canosa advises that his split screen was used for the same matter but with a different reasoning behind it in giving both the male and female perspective.
Made On A Mac – The filmmakers are at an unnamed film festival and before they screen the film to the audience; they explain how the entire editing process was done on an Apple MAC. Using certain programs they edited, cut, and put everything together on the MAC which made creating the split screen format easiest. It’s quite a lengthy explanation with some visual examples and great for anyone looking to learn a little about the movie-making business.
The Inside Pulse
This is a film that will not only give you a short time of entertainment, but it will also make you think. The only problem is that as wonderfully filmed as it is, it’s not something you’re going to want to watch repeatedly. I highly recommend a rental to check out it because it is well worth that. If you find you didn’t learn enough from your first lesson in cheating, then by all means run out and pick up your own copy.
