Her/Him viewing
Saw this last night (I consider it one film, saw both parts back to back in that order). Such a lovely, touching film, and not at all what I expected when I first heard about the project. First off, I just want to say that I find the title really gimmicky and misleading. Okay, sure, it's technically not "wrong", but it just sounds like a lead-on for something it's not, such an easy way to grab audience's attention. But, while misleading, it could've helped more with marketing? Box Office says otherwise but maybe something...
The basic plot point that leads to the whole film has been done before (Rabbit Hole did it just a few years ago) and the whole film isn't trying to be anything other than an honest, captivating look at two characters' lives and the way they deal with this tragedy. For some reason I thought it was going to be this really daring film. I was wrong and I knew almost immediately, but I didn't mind. The script is fantastic, and the two leads superb. McAvoy actually impresses more in Her (or rather, seemed more impressive as a supporting performance), and as a whole he's not really in Chastain's level, but he has some really strong scenes and as of now I'd have him in my Top 10 for Lead Actor (and he's in my top 3 for Filth, which is a better performance but an inferior film in every way). What can I say about Chastain? Her best performance alongside Zero Dark Thirty, and may very well be even better for the fact that she's able to play a much more rounded character in terms of emotions. What I've always found incredibly impressive about her as an actress is that, not only is she technically impeccable in all her work to a fault like so many other acclaimed actresses are, but she's also able to inhabit a character fully to the point that her technicality doesn't feel like we're watching her at a distance emotionally. That's a problem I have with some actresses working right now. They can be great, yeah, but can also hit notes technically well while feeling too much like it's all for show at times. I've never had that problem with Chastain. Her work here is among the best of the year and it's a shame that neither her or the fantastic film she's in are even getting mentions from critic bodies. If its because of the stupid "Them" decision, then what a shame... but it's most likely not, and that's an even bigger shame
A-
Also, it was mentioned here that Her is better being seen first because the opening of it is the beginning of the complete film and the ending of Him is the ending of the complete story? I didn't get that at all, and if anything I'd say it was reverse. Her ends with her calling for him and him turning around, so after the last shot of Him (although since their perspective of how events happened differ, that may very well be the point)... and Him's first scene is also before Her's opening, but I do think watching Her first gives some fluidity because I feel like those watching Him first will be too eager to watch her journey since she's the one who left, so watching Her first sort of gets that out of the way and can allow someone to more fully analyze Him. That's how I feel, not really because of the actual timeline.
Either way, I think both parts really do need to be seen together, since it's not just two different stories, but two different perspectives of some of the same events. It's very much "The Affair" (TV) in that way, and only watching both parts together could one remember the subtle differences and what those really mean.
When I plant a fatass cracker bitch I expect her to stay planted!