Originally published in Cinema Knife Fight, March 13, 2015.
With a couple of awesome exceptions, like Cinema 320, my city doesn’t have a lot of
art-house movie theaters. If we’re lucky the local Big Chain will
have some independent films showing on the screens in the back hallway (the
cool one that sometimes sells beer). Most times the best place to look for more
avant garde, indie science fiction films, is by scrolling through
streaming options on Netflix or Amazon (or Hulu – they have the complete Criterion
Collection, but for sci-fi that usually means uber avant
garde). Streaming is today’s equivalent of wandering around the video
store looking for something interesting.
THE ONE I LOVE (2014) is a cleverly written,
well-acted indie sci-fi movie which I’d stumbled upon after seeing the trailer
on IMDB.com. Now, I should clarify what I mean by “sci-fi,” as there are no
spaceships flying about, no aliens, and everything takes place on Earth. At its
heart, this is a love story, fueled by some bizarre circumstances which could
be explained by scientific or supernatural reasoning—you may have to pick for
yourself in this case.
A young couple, Ethan and Sophie, were madly in love once
upon a time, but have fallen on barren ground in their marriage. Their
therapist (Ted Danson, CHEERS and CSI TV series) sends them on a
weekend retreat to an isolated estate, where they can reconnect and rekindle
their love for each other. There’s been some damage done, and an implied
one-time tryst by the husband in the past, and they need some alone time to
work things out.
Mark Duplass (THE LAZARUS EFFECT, 2015, and the TV
series THE MINDY PROJECT and THE LEAGUE) plays the husband,
Ethan, a rather conservative bloke who had been brought out of his shell by his
wife Sophie (Elisabeth Moss—Peggie on the AMC series MAD MEN), but seems
to have crawled back into it of late. At first, these two seem like a
mismatched pair, Sophia full of life and curiosity, loosed onscreen by Moss’s
wide-eyed, eager facial expressions for which she’s known. At the beginning of
the story, I was somewhat unimpressed by Duplass’ performance, until I realized
this was due to the character he was portraying. Ethan’s kind of a lump.
That is, until they discover their doppelgangers.
Specifically, Sophia runs into a double of Ethan and Ethan someone who looks
and acts just like Sophia. Almost.
The couple are staying in the guest house of the estate. The
deserted main house is across the way, and here they discover their doubles.
But there’s a catch. The doubles don’t appear unless Ethan or Sophia enters the
house alone. When they do, they meet the duplicates of their spouse. Only
they’re not exactly identical. Obviously, Moss and Duplass play
both parts. And here’s where Duplass shines. Off comes the glasses, relaxed
goes his posture. This Ethan is pretty cool, and far more
attentive to Sophia. Moss’s duplicate Sophia isn’t a whole lot different from
the original, except that she’s a little less naggy and far more appreciative
to her “husband.”
At first, the couple openly shares what they discover, but
as each —mostly Sophia—discovers the doppelgangers are “better” than the
original, things get more secretive. Needless to say, this festers jealousy
within the couple’s marital dynamic.
That’s about all I should say about the plot. I probably
said too much as it is. It has some interesting twists and decisions by the
characters, and how each handles what’s going on. Understated is an
understatement, to how these characters react to the situation. They’re walking
on eggshells in their marriage already, but as they are presented with an
“improved” version of their spouse, they act, well, like real people might.
Cautious. Nervous. Jealous, but not in a violent, movie-of-the-week kind of
way. Much of this is kudos to writer Justin Lader and director Charlie McDowell
(whose only other film is the short BYE BYE BENJAMIN from 2006).
THE ONE I LOVE is a methodical, naturally flowing
film where you feel like you’re watching real people deal with an otherwise unreal
situation. What Ethan does, as his suspicions and jealousy grows, is normal. He
really wants to save his marriage, and this place seems intent on widening the
rift between them. This film takes a little while to get going with the main
plot, at least you think so (things begin happening earlier, unbeknownst to the
characters, or the viewer), but I stuck with it. This is one (rare) example
where the trailer for the movie was perfect. It made you want to see the movie
but gave away even less than I have in this review. So even though the buildup
of the main story was gradual, I didn’t mind, because I wanted to know what
they were going to find. Of course, here, I’ve told you, but stick with it.
It’s worth it.
Let me use a literary simile for a second. If high budget,
blockbuster films are like novels, Indie films like this are like short
stories. They’re not short in duration, but in scope, because
independent films are, by their nature (I’m being general here, there are
exceptions) have far less funds to spend on sets, shots, editing and special
effects. Perhaps funding is one reason the plot doesn’t allow the two Ethans
and Sophias to be in the same room with each other (this eventually happens in
an interesting turn of events later in the movie). The feel is more
single-camera simple. The sound is picked up from the microphones around the
actors more often than bigger budget projects, which rely heavily on techniques
like Foley, which introduces studio-generated sounds like
footsteps, a page turning in a book and even hands slapping against railings
during sound editing. This adds multiple layers of experience to the film.
Yes, I’m learning quite a lot from my film student daughter.
And sometimes, the simpler, basic attributes of movies like THE
ONE I LOVE draws the reader in closer into the story if the characters are
relatable (made so by good acting, editing, directing and of course writing, to
name a few). It never grows stale, progresses quickly (once it gets going), and
leaves the viewer with a clever and satisfying ending. You won’t find every
explanation at the end, but will be given enough to be content with. I was, at
least.
Take an Indie to Lunch, and watch THE ONE I LOVE on
most streaming services for free. In this case, I think you’ll be glad you did.