On Friday night the Odeon West End played host to director Ned Benson’s feature debut The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby: Them, bringing the director and star James McAvoy to the red carpet.
The story follows the marriage between Conor Ludlow (McAvoy) and Eleanor Rigby (Jessica Chastain) in the wake of a personal bereavement. As both deal with their loss in different ways, their relationship begins to crumble.
A unique project, Benson chose to tell the story in the form of three feature-length films. His first two - Him and Her - gave time for the separate perspectives of the two main characters, while the third - Them - is an abridged blend of the others. Speaking to Empire, Benson explained the reasons behind his artistic choice. "The decision was based on storytelling," he stressed. "I wanted to create a movie about relationships and ultimately the decision was based on the idea that the only way to show relationships properly was to show both perspectives. I started with that three-hour film made of two parts, or you can see this two-hour version depending on the type of audience member you are."
The London Film Festival featured the third film, Them. Benson took time to explain the difficulties of creating this particular segment of his trio. "It was tricky but interesting," expanded Benson. "We had to create a whole new rhythm, a whole new tone. I had two separate tones with the other two films and they had their own rhythms which were based on a script that existed. This didn’t have a script since I was creating something new out of something that we had already shot. In a sense, I was rewriting.’
Although the film has its lighter moments, it definitely features sombre ideas. On the red carpet, McAvoy revealed the most most satisfying and challenging aspects of the role. ‘Well, it was great getting to work with Jessica Chastain and Ciaran Hinds. Those were two pretty special things. Ciaran and I ended up close, even though we only worked five days together. It felt like he was my dad by the end of that so that was pretty cool," he laughed. "The rest was hard, especially when you’re dealing with someone who’s coping with bereavement. It was something that I could relate to quite easily so that was actually quite horrible most days. Even when my character is dealing with his grief well, it’s what drives him, along with the loss of his wife."
Benson’s third film in his new collection has already been shown in Cannes but this was the LFF's turn. In delivering an honest look at a troubled relationship, The Disappearance Of Eleanor Rigby: Them fully deserved the warm welcome it was afforded. The film's UK release date has yet to be confirmed, but watch this space for news.
Reporting by Jenny Scouler