The One I Love Blu-Ray Review
Jeremy Werner
December 23rd, 2014
“Some weird TWILIGHT ZONE **** is going on here,” exclaims Ethan (Duplass). He and his wife Sophie (Moss) are discussing a little weekend escape that has gone from romantic to bizarre, but quickly goes back to romantic in its own quirky way. It’s hard to talk about something so unique that blossoms from an unexpected plot twist and grows into an unconventional love story.
When we first meet Ethan and Sophie, they’re with a marriage counselor, recounting the love they once shared. The love at first sight relationship was born in thrilling fashion, sneaking on to private property to fornicate in a stranger’s pool. What was once a passionate marriage has disintegrated into monotony. As the movie puts it, they’re trying to relive their previous adventures instead of creating new ones with each other. It’s easy to see why since neither can get past their complaints about one another.
Their counselor suggests something simple to breathe new life into their crippled union, a retreat to a lovely little villa that will provide the perfect chance to become anew together. It seems to be the magical cure-all. They’re talking, flirting, laughing and that passion they yearned for so much has caught fire. But something’s not right. The young love laugh they both share suddenly turns ominous. The guest house on the small villa will soon reveal their emotional flaws and lack of trust with one another, and throttle the relationship.
There’s so much to talk about, but so much that I can’t reveal because to truly enjoy something so genius like this, it requires the viewer to be completely oblivious to the peculiar nature in which it details this relationship and uncovers the emotional anguish that takes place when repairing such a delicate relationship. Most other times, a movie would spend time showing these two characters interact in different circumstances and with different people in order to highlight why the relationship is beginning to crumble. It then requires those same characters to discuss what happened so that they both can learn and grow together. It happens in THE ONE I LOVE, but in a distinctive and fun manner.
It’s sometimes lighthearted and humorous, but that’s to help buoy the drama happening on screen. The movie keeps in mind that we need a chuckle here and there because of the absurd predicament our characters have found themselves in. It’s hard for the film to keep a straight face that long after the 13 minute mark. Our characters are pulled to the very edge of insanity, brought back, and pulled in every single emotional direction possible.
It’s fascinating to watch something so unorthodox be so sincere. It feels so science fiction, but also feels so honest and true. Duplass, who’s more commonly known as the unlikeable Pete on the FXX comedy, THE LEAGUE, really gets to showcase his acting talents in every facet. He’s able to display such a wide range of personalities, it’s a real pleasure to watch the on-screen chemistry bubble with the established actress, Moss. I give her an equal amount of praise considering this is an entire highlight reel of acting abilities in one movie. It’d be a shame for someone not watch this and automatically consider either of these people for a role requiring depth.
The 90 minute run time is the perfect amount of time in order to convey this rush of emotion. I can’t recommend THE ONE I LOVE enough. 20 minutes in I knew there was no turning back and that I was going to love every little twist and turn this movie was ready to throw at me. Even if you now know there will be a twist, THE ONE I LOVE has a strong enough brain behind the writing to stay crisp for every minute. I hope I was able to summarize the shroud of mystery that can only be revealed by experiencing it. Of course Ethan said it best; this is like a TWILIGHT ZONE episode.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: (1080p Widescreen 2:38:1) The visual mood of this movie is key. When the movie wants to be comforting, it’s bright and joyous, but when it needs to trek into uncharted territories, the color tones begin to darken. The presentation allows us to experience the splendor of how this film was shot.
Audio: (English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1) A perfect balance of soundtrack and dialogue. It’s never overbearing and it flows under the conversations that make us laugh and seduce us.
Feature Commentary with Director Charlie McDowell and Mark Duplass: This movie is one that deserves a second watch and why not with these two? Mark Duplass has had plenty of experience writing and directing, and hearing these two chat away like a couple of film school buddies is great. It helps reveal all those layers we missed and experienced subconsciously.
Visual Effects Reel (2:01): I can’t say why this is so interesting, but it’s a definite view for those interested in how they show this film. I just wish it had some of the visual effects commentary that’s usually accompanied in an extra like this. We need a little help, to better convey the process, although it visually tells us most of what we need to know.
