Jessica Chastain thrilled by Toronto response to her ‘Rigby,’ two movies in one

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TORONTO – After only a few years in the Hollywood spotlight, Jessica Chastain has two Oscar nominations and a film resume that could put a veteran actor to shame. Her latest trick? Anchoring “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him and Her,” a highly ambitious love story that’s really two movies in one.

Written and directed by Ned Benson, the films document two sides of a tragedy involving Chastain (who plays the title character) and her husband Conor (James McAvoy) that has brought the couple to the brink of demise.

Debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival, the first movie (the “him” half of the title) dissects the relationship from the perspective of Conor, who’s desperately trying to keep Eleanor in his rapidly deteriorating life. The companion film is told from Eleanor’s perspective and sheds further light on the couple’s story. Several scenes are shared between the two films but details differ, given each lover’s subjective memory of their relationship.

The films can be viewed separately and in any order. But during the festival, the ambitious movies are screening back-to-back as one 190-minute journey that probes every nook and cranny of a crumbling relationship.

During an overstuffed festival in which journalists sprint from engagement to engagement and perpetually smartphone-scanning industry types frequently bail on screenings after only a few minutes, persuading anyone to sit still in a theatre for three-plus hours would seem a tall task.

And Chastain concedes she fretted about that, but says the film’s running length has thus far not been a roadblock.

“I thought it would be, but when we showed up for the screening — I mean, it was packed,” said the friendly, copper-coiffed starlet in an interview this week.

“And there was this huge crowd of people outside. It was like, what is happening? It was wonderful. I’m excited about this film, because Ned wrote them in a way where each film actually stands on its own. You could go and just see one film. You would probably like to see both films because then you see the other side of it, but he didn’t set out to make a three-hour film. He set out to make two one-and-a-half hour films.”

The intimate, beautifully observed drama has a totally unique premise, which appealed to Chastain — a producer on the project and a longtime friend of Benson’s who was active in developing the second half of the two-film presentation.

The two-time Oscar nominee says that bringing such an ambitious film to fruition was difficult, in large part because it’s a smart, adult-focused romance at a time when Hollywood doesn’t necessarily see dollars in drama.

But she knew that once audiences in Toronto and beyond settled in for the experience, they wouldn’t be bored — certainly not with its all-star cast.

“How could it drag with Viola Davis, William Hurt, Isabelle (Huppert)?” said Chastain, resplendent in a vibrant yellow dress. “All these actors flocked to it because of the script.”

Added the actress: “Isabelle Huppert does not show up to play a part that’s in a bad script. So that is a testament to his writing.”

The Toronto International Film Festival runs through Sunday.

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