The Big Picture

• The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby tells one story from two perspectives: Him focuses on Conor and Her on Eleanor, revealing different nuances.
• Watching The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him first, then The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her, enhances the emotional impact as subtle differences in scenes become more apparent.
• The combined version of the film, titled The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them, loses individual character perspectives, turning the story into a more generic romantic drama.

It was at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival where director Ned Benson first screened his two films back to back. The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him is about a marriage ending from the perspective of Conor, played by James McAvoy. The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her is that same story, but this time from the viewpoint of Eleanor, played by Jessica Chastain. The two films together are a unique cinematic experiment of telling one story from different angles. After the TIFF screening, producer Harvey Weinstein picked up the films for The Weinstein Company and requested a third cut that combined the stories. In September 2014, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them arrived in U.S. cinemas. A month later, the two other versions were also released. It is a story that merits multiple tellings, because when it’s presented as merely one film, most of the deeper meaning of the films gets lost.

Each 'The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby' Film Tells Only a Part of the Story

Initially, director Ned Benson’s idea was to make two films to tell one story -- The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him and Her. These films are the story of the same events, but the scenes play out slightly differently in each version, bringing the individual perspective of the film's main characters into focus. Perhaps a line of dialogue is different, the tone of the character’s voice, the angle of the camera, or where the character is looking. The same narrative unfolds in both, but the subtle differences change the meaning of each scene depending on whose viewpoint the film is focusing on.

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him offers a somber tone, as it's the story of a man struggling with his wife leaving after they suffer a bereavement. The cinematography and mood are a bit bleak and blue. From Conor’s perspective, Eleanor is cold and standoffish. James McAvoy gives a wonderful and subtle performance, conveying a range of emotions as he navigates Conor’s loss. The supporting cast, which includes Bill Hader and Ciarán Hinds, is also brilliant.

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her paints Conor in a different light, as it opens up to focus on Eleanor and what she has been going through. Here, the cinematography is warmer than it is in Him. In Her, it’s Conor rather than Eleanor who appears as the more cold and distant one. Jessica Chastain gives a very vulnerable performance as Eleanor. The supporting cast once again is fantastic, with the likes of Viola Davis, Isabelle Huppert, and William Hurt.

Him and Her each hone in on telling this story from its main characters' perspective. The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them can be looked at as more of a "best of" compilation rather than as a film in its own right. It picks and chooses from Him and Her to create a flowing edit of the story, but those subtle differences in each scene and in each perspective are lost. The narrative becomes more of a straightforward romantic drama, and Benson’s original vision of telling a story from two sides gets lost in the edit.

Is 'The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them' Really Needed, or Is It a Commercial Afterthought?

With a runtime of two hours and three minutes, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them loses just over an hour of story edited out from Him and Her. It’s an awkward amount — not quite enough to justify a shorter edit, but too much to really get the story across. It feels like a marketing move that really serves no one. Him and Her combined is only three hours and nine minutes. Considering today’s long runtimes, it almost feels like nothing and supports the argument that the film really should have been released as a double feature all along.

In addition to losing the stark character perspective, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them also loses some of its star power, reducing the supporting cast's impact to feel more in the background. In the Him and Her edits, the supporting cast's presence feels strong and leaves an impression. It’s worth watching the two other versions just to get more relevant character development from these amazing actors.

Overall, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them feels watered down and acts a bit more like an afterthought in many ways. But, it exists to help the film reach a wider audience. In present day, Him and Her would play very well on a streaming service, but back in 2014 it was hard to get audiences to go to the cinema for a double feature of a film they hadn’t heard much about. It’s still hard, to be honest. Never mind two trips if it wasn’t playing as a double feature. Them was that compromise to get The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby out into the world, with the hope that those who liked Them sought out the real story of Him and Her.

In What Order Should 'The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby' Be Watched?

With three films to choose from, it may be daunting to know where to start watching. The order in which the films are viewed certainly impacts the audience's perception of the story and how they view the quality of the storytelling. It’s a question of personal taste, but for someone wanting to experience what the director initially intended, there is only one answer. The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him is the ideal first film in this set. It was usually the first to screen during a cinematic double feature of Him and Her, and also is an excellent way to set the scene. It focuses on James McAvoy’s Conor, and paints a picture of what you think Eleanor is like as she spends much of the film off-screen. It’s a bit more cool in tone, but draws you in with its excellent performances, notably by a very sympathetic McAvoy.

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her, when viewed immediately after Him, is a revelation. It plays many of the same scenes as Him, but now, from Eleanor’s perspective, there are subtle differences. When these moments are fresh in the audience’s mind, they really pop out. The tone is also warmer, and much of the mystery of Jessica Chastain’s Eleanor that was set up in Him, unfolds masterfully in Her. Seeing things from Eleanor’s perspective changes the meaning of a lot of what was seen in Him, and putting the perspectives together really helps to complete the picture of the relationship between Conor and Eleanor.

When watched before Him and Her, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them detracts from the story. It loses that powerful perspective which is really the main point of the films. It initially existed so that the film could reach a wider audience, but now in the age of streaming, it doesn’t really serve a purpose. If you want to spend one hour less on this story, then it’s a good way to speed up the linear aspect of it. If you want a deeper, richer experience, then Him and Her is the way to go. If, after watching Him and Her, you want to be a completist, then Them offers that experience to close the chapter on the story of Conor and Eleanor.

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is a touching tale of loss and bereavement, in life and in a relationship. Him and Her was what the director originally envisioned as two separate films, often released together as a double feature. Ideally, they are viewed back to back, in that respective order, to feel the full impact of the emotion, with the scenes fresh in your mind, and the subtle differences more obvious. Them loses much of the character perspective that Him and Her bring to the story, and plays more like a straight romantic drama. So is Them really a necessary addition that furthers the narrative? No, but it’s always nice to get more of James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain.

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.

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