icelanderlight Profound and uplifting. Beyond terrific acting - it truly appeared real. How did the two Sprecher sisters make this happen??? It is in strong contention for "the most valuable film I have ever seen" and I am in my 8th decade of life. I feel I really OWE Jill and Karen Sprecher (whom I have never met).I found especially effective the way that the actors, in sometimes casual actions, influence each other. These simple, casual actions that seem almost trivial, lead to destruction sometimes and redemption other times. And the surprising dependencies that exist between the characters - but out of easy sight - a masterpiece!

paul2001sw-1 '13 Conversations About One Thing' is, although you might have guessed otherwise, a film whose characters discuss happiness; but it's not exactly a happy film. Rather, it's an annoying one, with inappropriately fey music, silent movie style chapter headings, dull and unrealistic dialogue, and the strange (possibly budget induced) choice of the director, Jill Sprecher, not to show us any of the main events of her story but only the conversations the characters have about them. The plot, such as it is, brings together characters with only loose connections between them; but none of their tales amount to much alone, and the whole is little more than the sum of their meagre parts. Alan Arkin's character seems like a prototype for Larry David's in 'Curb your Enthusiasm'; overall, there's little insight into the human condition here, only scripted pretentiousness.

PWNYCNY This is an intense, sad movie, with an excellent cast, well crafted but disturbing. This movie attempts to bring the audience in touch with the vagary of life. Whether this can be considered entertainment is debatable. The characters are forlorn, lost souls who are wallowing in disillusion and are bitter about their lives. Pretty heavy stuff. The movie dramatizes their struggle to find meaning in their lives and to discover an explanation for why things turn out they way they do, and here the movie fails. The movie bites off more than it can chew. When a movie delves into the more esoteric aspects of life, like the meaning of life, the purpose of existence, fate vs. coincidence, it's treading on thin ice and it's the rare movie of that genre that succeeds in avoiding the cold water. This is the case because unlike a conventional story that has a beginning, a middle and an end, stories with complex themes leave the audience hanging; they offer no answers, no resolutions, which is frustrating and unsatisfying. Once the director opens the Pandora's box of emotions, either close the box by bringing resolution to whatever is bothering the characters or don't go there in the first place. The movie makes a point that people are bitter. Now what? Where does the movie go from there? This movie does a great job in dramatizing personal dissatisfaction and the bitterness associated with unfilled wishes, but doesn't bring closure. So if you want to watch some fine acting, then this movie is for you. But be warned: it's not a happy movie.

paddlin_jones I just rented this one and overall it's kind of depressing with a couple of moments of respite. It is very similar to the latest "Crash" and I wouldn't be surprised if I was to hear that Paul Haggis had seen this prior to writing the Crash screenplay.Separate personal story lines of New Yorkers intersect at various times over the course of about 1 year in a strangely cohesive time-travelling stew of flashes both forward and backs.A good friend of mine periodically mentions that we never know how our interactions affect other people, no matter how fleeting they may be. This film picks up on that notion, most often in a fairly heavy-handed fashion. Whether it's a grumpy boss and cheery subordinate, self-centred university professor messing up at home and with students, or one of two other story lines, cause and effect are shown without much subtlety.I consider it very much worth seeing, but it doesn't have the feel-good cathartic release that Crash had. The situations and characters are nonetheless very real and flawed. Some are really lovely people, some aren't. Sometimes a jerk makes a break for change and to tries to discover what it's like to do a kind turn, even one that takes all of 3 seconds.Well acted and directed. Sets are great as is the cinematography.