Okay, the teaser of this news might appear a bit provoking but the concept of Ned Benson's directorial debut The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is something really special and probably not everyone's cup of tea. The film stars Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy and tells the story of a marriage falling apart. And it does so in the form of 2 films with a respective runtime of 90 minutes following each other. From the husband's perspective as Him and then from the wife's standpoint as Her. Sounds interesting.

But that's not all. The Weinstein Company distributes the film and has a 3rd version in mind. It is called Them and will be a 2-hour version of the film that combines both perspectives in one film. This is meant for audiences that are not so fond of experiments but would like to see 2 fine actors working their craft. That the more conventional Them is intended for the masses can be concluded when looking at the film's theatrical release strategy. It will be shown in most US cinemas starting September 26nd, 2014, while the longer Him/Her version will only be released in arthouse venues.

Director Benson isn't really upset about this and underlines that he wasn't forced to agree to anything but rather did the 3rd version out of curiosity and was happy that it worked, as well.

Benson: “Insane is probably the best way to describe all this. The idea of creating a third way to see this story, to have a two-hour relationship film or give the viewer the choice of seeing it in the three hour, two-part perspective is one of the most educational film experiences I’ve had in my life. And the outcome is mind-blowing, like hitting the lottery.”

The Them version doesn't only remove scenes but also includes material that didn't really fit in the other ones. There are also many alternate camera shots of the same scenes. This cut will premiere at Cannes 2014.