Movie Review - "The One I Love," Fantasy Retreat Mends Broken Marriage
On the verge of separation, Ethan and Sophie find hope in couples therapy. Their therapist (Ted Danson) suggests “resetting” their marriage to a country retreat, which he says will restore what is missing. It seems like a viable solution, as they can't remember the last time they had sex and how little happiness they have remembering the past.
The couple played by Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) and Mark Duplass (The League) arrive at this spacious vacation home where they have started to rekindle their romance. Maybe a break from city life is just what they need. The place is well stocked with food, wine and weed. Sophie cooks dinner, adds some music, weed and a good conversation, the retreat starts off wonderfully. Sophie walks around and finds a guest house. Venturing inside, she finds Ethan and they make love with passion.
However, when she returns home, she finds Ethan fast asleep on the sofa. She wonders how it got there so quickly. Questioning him, she finds that he has no memory of what happened in the guesthouse. The hurt relationship fades and suspicion resurfaces.
The next day, Ethan visits the estate and locates the guesthouse. He comes in and finds Sophie waiting for him preparing breakfast. Something's wrong, because she cooked bacon, something she previously hated to do. Ethan thinks things are going well.
These bizarre events continued until the real couple confided in each other over the duplicate couple they encountered. A couple who are almost a clone. This is where the story picks up as they try to outsmart what appears to be themselves. One is able to keep track of these strange situations appearing in almost parallel universes by observing the different wardrobes and slightly different hairstyles for Sophie and Ethan. The personalities are also a little different, the duplicates being more open and frank.
It's hard to reveal the rest of the plot details without destroying the fun of the movie. The satisfaction of this film is to observe how this couple approaches their marriage problems and the reasons for their deterioration. The performances are very memorable with solid depth and a lot of humanity. The film effortlessly slides between drama and comedy, and the cast shows how expert they are at both. The storytelling is witty, authentic, and emotion-based, a tribute to the actors improvising much of their dialogue from Justin Lader's 50-page script. There is a certain repetitiveness that one might find boring, but in most cases the story pulls us well into building us towards a surprising climatic ending, which surprises you.
In post-screening Q&A, Miss Moss confessed to stopping production in one scene due to her confusion over the dual role. It was the only scene where they are dressed in identical outfits. She asked, "Tell me, what Sophie am I playing?"
"The One I Love" is a genre journey incorporating elements of romantic comedy, drama and sci-fi / fantasy, ably guided by Charlie McDowell with surprising directorial confidence. The production credits are admirable and beautifully done, especially given its small budget and short filming schedule. Reviewed at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The 91-minute film is scheduled to open on August 15, 2014.
CREDITS: Cast: Mark Duplass, Elisabeth Moss, Ted Danson; Director: Charlie McDowell; Writer: Justin Lader; Producer; Mel Eslyn; Executive Producers: Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, Charlie McDowell and Justin Lader; Photography Directory: Doug Emmett; Production designer: Theresa Guleserian; Artistic Director: Erika Toth; Costume designer: Bree Daniel; Publisher: Jennifer Lilly; Sound: Sean O'Malley; Re-Recording Mixer; Gene Park; Visual Effects Supervisor: Stefan Scherperel; Music: Danny Densi, Saunder Jurrianns; A production of Duplass Brothers. Distributed by: Radius - TWC; Duration: 91 minutes.