Thirteen Conversations about One ThingI liked this film. It's about guilt, deception, irrational faith and happiness with a venue of New York. It's about problems that people encounter and what they do or don't do. But then, all stories begin with a problem. What made this one interesting were the circumstances, the connections and the presentation. There are four separate groups: attorneys, academics, housekeepers and claims adjusters. As each group's story unfolds, some connection between the groups occurs. That construct has been used before, e.g. Short Cuts (1993). However in this film, the stories are presented out of time sequence and the segments are separated and identified by conversational statements taken from the dialogue. Presented this way, these statements become a kind of philosophy of the character.The film was directed by Jill Sprecker and written by Jill and her sister, Karen. Jill Sprecker graduated from the University of Wisconsin with major of philosophy and literature. Why am I not surprised? The first film she directed won the Best Film prize at the Torino International Festival of Young Cinema of 1997. This film is her second directing effort and I am impressed with the result.

Each of the groups has a lead protagonist. Alan Arkin plays Gene English, the manager of the claims adjustment group. I have not liked him in previous films primarily because of his character's sarcastic humor. But in this film, as a curmudgeon, he is excellent. He turns 69 this month and has a long list of credits including a cult comedy film, The In-Laws (1979). Matthew Conaughey plays Troy, an attorney in the DA's office. He also had a lead part as the attorney in A Time to Kill (1996). Clea DuVall plays Beatrice, a housekeeper. She's a relatively new actress that I have never seen before. John Turturro plays Walker, a physics professor. He does a great job of being the quintessential obnoxious academic. Turturro is a middle-aged actor who has worked steadily in many films, but who has never really stood out for me. Amy Irving plays his wife, Patricia. I have liked her ever since she did The Competition and Honeysuckle Rose, both in 1980.

The situations in the film are real and portrayed well with excellent acting. It's not a comforting film, but it is a thought provoking film. It's one of those rare movies that you can get more out the second time you see it.