Review of The One I Love (2014) by Mike N — 06 Sep 2014

Ever since its debut at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, mum's been the word on the plot, with most critics barely saying more than yea or nay, suggesting that to discuss the story of the film past "A couple in a struggling marriage stay at a cabin for the weekend and discover there's a guest house" will destroy the enjoyment of the film. Finally, now that the film is available in theaters and VOD, the question can be answered.

So the big twist, at least the initial one that hits about 20 minutes in and ignites the narrative? Well, some might find it surprising and unpredictable, and we'll respect that sense of suspense by not divulging the story. Indeed, perhaps its just this jaded critic who sees an indie film with that premise and already can guess the events that are due to unfold. Yet, the interesting thing about The One I Love is that, despite critical emphasis indicating otherwise, it's not the premise which matters. The One I Love takes what seems like an unshot Twilight Zone episode and uses the extra hour's run time to explore the real world ramifications of such an occurrence. Rather than the "archetypes to drive home the message" characters of the Serling show, Elizabeth Moss and Mark Duplass not only bring a third dimension to their characters, they create raw, honest portraits of real people, and let us see how real people would react to such a set of circumstances.

The One I Love uses sci-fi to tackle relationships in the same vein as Her did in 2013, not as an allegory or a metaphor but rather as a real object, a real event through which and against which real human nature is exposed and made open to examination, demanding the audience see something of themselves within these ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. It deserves and earns the audiences' respect, even if it doesn't get their surprise.