A version of this story first appeared in CannesWrap.
When “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall, it was already an audacious project for first-time director Ned Benson: two separate films, one subtitled “Him” and the other “Her,” about a relationship fracturing in the wake of a tragedy. “Him” was told from the perspective of James McAvoy‘s character, “Her” from the perspective of Jessica Chastain‘s; run back-to-back, the two films were stunning, deeply emotional and, one would think, wholly unmarketable.
As buyers came calling in the wake of the film’s triumphant premiere, the filmmakers were adamant that they would only make a deal with a distributor who agreed to release it as two films.