Perplexing mystery and heartfelt dramatics are felt in Ned Benson’s stunning, exceptionally performed, two-part directorial debut The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him & Her.

Write a list of the best directorial debuts. Then promptly knock one entry off and add Ned Benson, who with his The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby movies has introduced himself as a great new talent whose handling of story, character, and visuals is equally impressive.

A director of four small budget short films, Benson has boldly made his big feature film splash with not one, but two features that portray a marriage torn apart by tragic circumstance, one from the husbands perspective (The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him), and the other from the wife’s (The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her).

Jessica Chastain stars as the curiously named Eleanor Rigby, a broken soul who after a suicide attempt returns to her childhood home and tries to start her life anew. This is to the despair of her husband Conor (James McAvoy), who is out of the loop and is left to pick up the pieces of their once shared life.

Benson wrote the role of Eleanor with Chastain in mind, and she delivers a fantastic performance. As Eleanor’s mystery slowly unfolds and reveals a broken heart living in denial, Chastain masterfully plays the many conflicting emotions that have come to rule a life that was once firmly established, only to be torn apart by tragic circumstance.

James McAvoy is also exceptional in what might be his best performance yet, perfectly portraying the anger, confusion and sorrow that has engulfed Conor’s life, slowly letting his defiant guard down to those who love him as the film progresses.

Benson presents this journey with a powerful sensitivity, using beautifully staged flashbacks to present once happier times of deep romance and spirited youth that is in stark contrast to a present that’s thick with denial, as Eleanor tries to disappear behind a facade while slowly withering away inside, and Conor struggles to deal with one loss after another as he alienates everyone around him.

The beauty of Benson’s two films is that while they do work best as companion pieces, the material and performances are so strong that they also work as standalone movies, both driven by the heartbeat of their separate subjects. Interestingly, when the inevitable happens and Eleanor and Conor do share scenes, Benson opts not to cut and paste these sequences from one film to another, but instead adds small changes that make all the difference in the world.    

It’s the quiet moments that make this grief fuelled journey ever so poignant, with Benson’s delicate touch one that will leave a mark. One tender sequence shared between Conor and his gruff father (brilliantly portrayed by Ciarin Hinds) is beautifully written and performed to tear rolling perfection, a scene of the year contender if there ever was one.