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| Sophie (Elizabeth Moss) and Ethan (Mark Duplass) encounter some serious Twilight Zone sh** in The One I Love (2014) |
Charlie McDowell's The One I Love (2014) was a delightful surprise at Fantasia--a subtle sci-fi film that's equal parts hilarious and touching, and even mildly creepy. It's definitely the funniest film I've seen at the festival thus far (and the film is intentionally witty and wry rather than accidentally so).
The film's setup is that Ethan (Mark Duplass) has sometime in the recent past cheated on Sophie (Elizabeth Moss), and they are currently struggling in couple's therapy in order to manage their problems and move on. Ted Danson has a very amusing, brief role as their therapist. After trying to get them to play "in harmony" on a piano in his office, he finally suggests that they go to a romantic retreat to recapture the flame of their marriage. Yes, this film has another "Cabin in the Woods," but this cabin is way, way upscale. Both Sophie and Ethan are game for this therapeutic getaway, because their couples therapy sessions seem to be going nowhere.
Once they arrive at their destination, they proceed to relax and enjoy each other's company, having dinner together, drinking some wine, and smoking a little pot, Each person, in turn, also explores the guesthouse, where they encounter some weird Twilight Zone sh** indeed. The supernatural/sci-fi logic of the guesthouse isn't entirely clear, but the couple are willing to explore its possibilities. Unsurprisingly, it comes to bite them in the a**. In a quest to either provoke or discover their better selves, they find that fantasy is almost always better than reality.
Elizabeth Moss as Sophie is just terrific in this film, and out of the two of them, I found her the most sympathetic. Her emotional range is both nuanced and subtle, and I enjoyed everything single scene she is in. Mark Duplass as Ethan...well...he's really good at playing that annoying schlub who is simultaneously uptight and judgmental. I find him really unappealing, even in his "funny, surfer-dude" guise, when he is his "best self." I realize that comment is cryptic, but I really don't want to give any of the fun of this movie away. And it's really, really fun. When you think about the fact that there are only three actors in the entire film (Moss, Duplass, and Danson), it's successes become even more impressive.
The film has some substantial unexpected twists, and a degree of menace (as it takes the notion of the uncanny doppelganger to a whole new level). There are still a couple of plot fissures that don't ever really make sense, but like Animosity, the film is too well made to get riled up about some head-scratching moments. I'm still trying to figure out what the therapist's end game is here, since he sent them on this little romantic (mis)adventure. How does the physics of the place actually work, and how real are these people (any of them)? Part of the fun is trying to figure this sh** out. Nevertheless, Elizabeth Moss has a really fine career ahead of her. Her performance is a knockout. Highly recommended.
The film's setup is that Ethan (Mark Duplass) has sometime in the recent past cheated on Sophie (Elizabeth Moss), and they are currently struggling in couple's therapy in order to manage their problems and move on. Ted Danson has a very amusing, brief role as their therapist. After trying to get them to play "in harmony" on a piano in his office, he finally suggests that they go to a romantic retreat to recapture the flame of their marriage. Yes, this film has another "Cabin in the Woods," but this cabin is way, way upscale. Both Sophie and Ethan are game for this therapeutic getaway, because their couples therapy sessions seem to be going nowhere.
Once they arrive at their destination, they proceed to relax and enjoy each other's company, having dinner together, drinking some wine, and smoking a little pot, Each person, in turn, also explores the guesthouse, where they encounter some weird Twilight Zone sh** indeed. The supernatural/sci-fi logic of the guesthouse isn't entirely clear, but the couple are willing to explore its possibilities. Unsurprisingly, it comes to bite them in the a**. In a quest to either provoke or discover their better selves, they find that fantasy is almost always better than reality.
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| Ethan promises to not spy on Sophie in the guesthouse, but he cannot resist |
The film has some substantial unexpected twists, and a degree of menace (as it takes the notion of the uncanny doppelganger to a whole new level). There are still a couple of plot fissures that don't ever really make sense, but like Animosity, the film is too well made to get riled up about some head-scratching moments. I'm still trying to figure out what the therapist's end game is here, since he sent them on this little romantic (mis)adventure. How does the physics of the place actually work, and how real are these people (any of them)? Part of the fun is trying to figure this sh** out. Nevertheless, Elizabeth Moss has a really fine career ahead of her. Her performance is a knockout. Highly recommended.
