Movie review – "The one i love" Fantasy retreat mends the broken marriage
On the brink of separation, Ethan and Sophie find hope in couples therapy. His therapist (Ted Danson) suggests “resetting” his marriage at a country retreat, which he guarantees will restore what is missing. This seems like a viable solution, since they cannot remember the last time they had sex and what little happiness they have is found in remembering the past.
The couple played by Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) and Mark Duplass (The League) arrive as this spacious vacation home where they began to rekindle their romance. Perhaps a break from city life is exactly what they need. The place is well stocked with food, wine, and marijuana. Sophie cooks dinner, adds some music, some marijuana, and some great conversation, the retreat is off to a wonderful start. Sophie takes a walk and finds a guest house. Venturing inside, he finds Ethan and they make passionate love.
However, when he returns home, he finds Ethan fast asleep on the couch. Wondering how it got there so fast. Upon questioning him, she discovers that he does not remember what happened at the guesthouse. The wounded relationship rots and suspicions resurface.
The next day, Ethan walks the grounds and locates the guest house. He walks in and finds Sophie waiting for him making breakfast. Something is wrong, as he has cooked bacon, something he used to hate to do. Ethan thinks things are looking up.
Such strange events continued until the royal couple is confined to each other by the duplicate couple they are finding. A couple that is almost a clone. This is where the story begins as they are trying to outsmart what they appear to be themselves. One can keep track of these strange situations that appear in almost parallel universes by looking at the different wardrobes and slightly different hairstyles for Sophie and Ethan. The personalities are also a bit different and the duplicates are more open and direct.
It’s difficult to reveal the rest of the plot details without destroying the enjoyment of the movie. The satisfaction of this film is to observe how this couple deals with their marital problems and the reasons for their deterioration. The performances are very memorable, they have solid depth and a lot of humanity. The film glides effortlessly between drama and comedy, and the cast shows how adept they are at both. The storytelling is witty, authentic and emotionally based on a tribute to the actors who improvise much of their dialogue from Justin Lader’s 50-page script. There is some repetition that one may find annoying, but for the most part the story leads one very well through the construction to a surprising climactic finale, one that sneaks up on us.
In the question and answer session that followed the screening, Miss Moss confessed that she stopped production on one scene due to her confusion about playing the double role. It was the only scene where they are dressed in identical outfits. She asked, “Tell me, what do I play Sophie?”
“The One I Love” is a journey through genres incorporating elements of romantic comedy, drama, and sci-fi / fantasy, ably guided by Charlie McDowell with surprising directing confidence. The production credits are admirable and beautifully done, especially given its low budget and short filming schedule. Reviewed at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The 91-minute film is scheduled to premiere on August 15, 2014.
CREDITS: Cast: Mark Duplass, Elisabeth Moss, Ted Danson; Director: Charlie McDowell; Screenwriter: Justin Lader; Producer; Mel Eslyn; Executive Producers: Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, Charlie McDowell and Justin Lader; Directory of Photography: Doug Emmett; Production designer: Theresa Guleserian; Art Director: Erika Toth; Costume Designer: Bree Daniel; Editing: Jennifer Lilly; Sound: Sean O’Malley; Re-recording mixer; Gene Park; Visual Effects Supervisor: Stefan Scherperel; Music: Danny Densi, Saunder Jurrianns; A Duplass Brothers production. Distributed by: Radius – TWC; Duration: 91 minutes.