Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Film / TheDisappearanceOfEleanorRigby

Go To

1[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eleanor-rigby_7584.gif]]
2
3-->''There are two sides to every love story.''
4
5''The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby'' is a set of three different movies written and directed by Ned Benson, each telling the story of a young couple and how they found and lost love. The cast includes Creator/JessicaChastain, Creator/JamesMcAvoy, Creator/ViolaDavis, Creator/IsabelleHuppert, [[Creator/CiaranHinds Ciarán Hinds]], Creator/BillHader, and Creator/WilliamHurt.
6
7The films are subtitled ''Him'', ''Her'', and ''Them'', with the former two telling the story from the differing perspective of the husband and the wife, while the latter alternates the two [=POVs=]. ''Him'' and ''Her'' premiered to unanimous acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival, while ''Them'' was created later, following the films' acquisition by The Weinstein Company, and premiered to equal acclaim at the Cannes film festival. All three films were released in the United States on September 26, 2014, with ''Them'' receiving a mainstream release while ''Him'' and ''Her'' will play in arthouse theatres. A trailer can be seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ng4MD66WyU here]].
8
9!!Tropes Associated With The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby Include:
10
11* AmbiguousEnding: ''Him'' and ''Them'' end with Conor walking alone in the park and Eleanor slowly follows him. It's unclear if she means to catch up with him. In ''Her'', however, [[spoiler:she calls him and he turns around to look at her, but it's still uncertain if the two will overcome their problems.]]
12* BlackBestFriend: Lillian soon gets slotted into this role, despite being Eleanor's professor.
13* BoyMeetsGirl: Conor and Eleanor meet at college.
14* BrilliantButLazy: This is Spencer's opinion of his son.
15-->'''Spencer:''' I need a manager to run the place--\
16'''Conor:''' No, no!\
17'''Spencer:''' Ah come on, let me finish.\
18'''Conor:''' I like my place, we're doing just fine.\
19'''Spencer:''' You're better than that.\
20'''Conor:''' I don't really want to have this conversation right now.\
21'''Spencer:''' I didn't furnish you with a six-figure education just so you could run some pop stand. This is a real restaurant.
22* BungledSuicide: [[spoiler:Eleanor]] attempts suicide by jumping from a bridge. The cause and the aftermath of it, is what drives the story of [[spoiler:''Her'']].
23* ColorCodedCharacters: Eleanor is almost always dressed in black clothing, which indicates that she is still [[spoiler:mourning for her son]].
24* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: The titles and credits for each film are different colors. ''Him'' is blue, ''Her'' is reddish orange, and ''Them'' is purple.
25* DeathOfAChild: [[spoiler:Even though we never actually see the kid outside a picture at the end, Eleanor and Conor's son dying is the source of all the film's drama.]]
26* ExpositoryHairstyleChange[=/=]ImportantHaircut: After her [[spoiler:suicide attempt]], Eleanor decides to cut her hair short and start wearing make-up as a sign that she has left her old life with her husband behind and starting a new one.
27* GriefInducedSplit: Eleanor and Conor's relationship suffers and breaks after the death of their infant son.
28* LikeFatherLikeSon: Spencer invokes this when he tells Conor, "You're a bit like me."
29* [[Main/OneGameForThePriceOfTwo One Film for the Price of Three]]: A rare film example. The film was originally released in two versions showing the different perspectives of Conor (''Him'') and Eleanor (''Her''). The films are not sequels to each other but rather two different versions showing different sides to the story. A third version showcasing the most crucial parts of each side has been released subtitled ''Them''.
30* PerspectiveFlip: ''Him'' to ''Her'', and vice versa.
31* RashomonStyle:
32** ''Them'' is constructed this way, with scenes alternating from the memories of both Conor and Eleanor.
33** ''Him'' and ''Her'' have shades of this trope as well in regards to the scenes where Conor and Eleanor are onscreen together. While both films use the same scenes, they differ slightly in regards to who does what and who says what.
34* StarCrossedLovers: It's clear that Eleanor and Conor both love each other, but the memory of [[spoiler:their son's death]] keeps them apart.
35* ShoutOut: The title character received her name from a song by Music/TheBeatles.
36* SirSwearsALot: Conor uses a lot of F-bombs to emphasize his arguments
37* ThereAreNoTherapists: Played straight with Conor; Eleanor's father tries to get her to see one, but she refuses.
38* {{Tragedy}}: The [[spoiler:death of Eleanor and Conor's 2-month-old son]] serves as the impetus for the whole plot.
39* TwoPartTrilogy: Originally intended as such, but later averted by the creation of ''Them''.

Top