Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (2001) - Talking the hell out of something

Bar-stool preachers meet cocky lawyers and discuss simple matters of life that are seemingly getting out of hand.

One good conversation, as they say, can change things forever. And when something's spoken about not once but thirteen times, change is a constant. Thirteen Conversations About One Thing is about human pursuits through dialogue and discussion which end in changes that are less likely to be ideal. What do the humans in this picture pursue? Well, the movie gives you an answer almost as it begins. 

The film has multiple narratives which do coincide but we don't follow them for plot. It has the structure of a short-story collection, where each segment has a title and its own conflicts but unlike in a book, these segments are interconnected. Each character poses a question which the next one, in a completely independent scenario, answers and puts forth another question instead. What's of great charm is the fact that not every character reaches the point of finding the answer. They meet each other inadvertently in bars, offices and classrooms to share burdens that are common but not very apparent. Burdens of all kinds, mind you - insecurity, loneliness and even unawareness. As the title suggests, this story is about repetition.

Everyday life, which is the subject of this picture, brings mundane conflicts but if these aren't addressed earnestly, they become slightly bigger deals. These are conflicts with one's own destiny, more or less, which come in shapes and sizes of all nature. Sometimes things get blown out of proportion and at other times, life remains still, as though it is numb to the constant nudging one gives it (like the tall-mute guy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). Take Alan Alda's character for example. He works at a mid-level insurance company and doesn't remember the last time he was truly happy. He feels he has seen too much life to have expectations of any kind. Now, he's at a point where someone else's innocent happiness bothers him. He's jealous, no doubt, but the main concern is his sadness which doesn't get addressed because such things aren't spoken about with colleagues. And when he does try to do something about it, he instead gets tangled in a vicious loop of envy, guilt and redemption. Something that a man his age doesn't need at the moment. 

The film's main charm is in its writing and editing. Jill Sprecher, the director of the picture, (who co-writes this with her sister Karen Sprecher) gives us situations of all kinds and introduces people from all walks but it's all so seamless, trotting along effortlessly without us ever feeling overwhelmed because of the complexity. I would want to talk a little more about this film but there's also great simplicity to it that overemphasizing might ruin it for you. So, instead, watch this film right away for its very interesting take on a subject that's very familiar and important to all of us. Ciao!