One magic irreverent spontaneous night brought Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elizabeth Moss) together. Now, many years later, the spontaneity is long gone and the spark has died.
It will take far more than a forced revisiting of that inspirational first encounter to resurrect this relationship.
A visit to the relationship psychiatrist (Ted Danson) leads the couple to a remote holiday home for a weekend with the sole aim of rebuilding what once was. With both parties on the same page the stay starts well, with some wine, deep discussion and a trip to the guesthouse adjacent to the main home, however things change dramatically. Quickly.
It turns out that there is ‘competition’ for attention on the premises that very same weekend. The phrase ‘not on the same page’ springs to mind, though perhaps not in the usual way. It is all quite confusing for all, leading to more than a couple meta warnings from characters about ‘not thinking too hard about it’.
It’s impossible to describe further happenings without spoilage, just think Lo budget sci-fi not a million miles removed from Safety Not Guaranteed and the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, only without quite the impact of those two.
Still, The One I Love is unexplainable in positive ways and ambitious enough to take a low budget shot at an original idea. It’s far from perfect but nothing less than genuinely interesting. That’s the part I loved.
Final Rating – 7.5 / 10. Extra points perhaps for creativity.
