It is my first time watching a movie in split screen from beginning to the end. In fact, split screen filming is not common. I can think of the TV series “24” that has employed this technique and probably there are some other productions out there but that is it. The idea is that instead of the traditional cut scenes, you get to watch the actor and actress’ immediate facial and body response while reacting to the lines of his or hers counterpart. This can be powerful. As an added feature, the film maker allows the audience to do their own editing, to focus on whichever part that interests them most. “Conversations With Other Women” managed to pull off because Aaron Eckhart and Helena Bonham Carter do have great chemistry in the movie. The sacrifice though is the lacking in tastefulness of the backdrop. I compare this movie with “Before Sunrise” and “Before Sunset” that are similar in nature with “Conversations With Other Women” but with much better scenery and backdrop. “Before Sunrise/Sunset” is an art. “Conversations With Other Women” seems like an experiment.
When watching “Conversations With Other Women”, I could not help but reminiscing my favorite movies “Before Sunrise” and “Before Sunset”. The story of “Conversations With Other Women” started with a man flirting with a woman in a wedding reception and guess what? They have a past history of passion decades ago and the woman has a flight to catch in a couple of hours’ time and to return to her own family. Sounds like the storyline of “Before Sunset”? I screamed rip off in my head while watching the movie.
From the scripting perspective, “Conversations With Other Women” does have its clever moments. It directs the audience to pay attention to the details in both screens and more clues are dropped as the story unfold. I have got to say, there are some romantic moments that though I wish it was Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy who acted out the parts instead, I think these moments are brilliant.
It is certainly a novelty in watching a split screen movie. Most of the time both screens are synchronized in terms of timing. Other times especially when the couple is recalling the past, one screen shows the present while another screen shows the past. It is interesting to note that the split screen effect also serves as a visual metaphor of two people who are apart trying to get together.
On a side note, Helena Bonham Carter looks familiar but I could not pinpoint which are the movies she has acted in. In fact, she has a long list of movies and TV series under her belt including some of those that I know such as Hamlet, Frankenstein, Fight Club, Planet of the Apes, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the voice behind Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and my favourite Corpse Bride! She was gorgeous when she played Ophelia in the movie “Hamlet”. That was back in 1990 when she was 24! How time flies.