Here we go, another formulaic romantic comedy with phoned in performances from actors just going through the motions. That was my initial reaction when my girlfriend recommended The One I Love. To my astonishment, and unbridled joy, this turned out to be one of the smartest, jarring looks at the romcom genre. The film’s synopsis gives nothing away, painting it as a bog standard love story. Starring Mark Duplass and Elizabeth Moss in the central roles, with a small, yet pivotal, role played by the evergreen Ted Danson as “The Therapist”. The film starts with Ethan (Duplass) and Sophie (Moss) attempting to reignite their faltering relationship by reliving past adventures. On the advice of “The Therapist” they head to his holiday home out in the country side as he assures them that it will be the remedy they desire.
On their first night they discover the guest house where, in an unexplained twist, lives an alternative version of Ethan and Sophie that embody everything the real couple used to be. When Sophie enters the guest house she sees the laid back, care free Ethan that she fell in love with. Ethan sees the Sophie he remembers from the start of their relationship, however, he is suspicious and finds it all very strange, constantly questioning the other Sophie about who and what she is. The real Sophie, on the other hand, falls for her husband’s doppelgänger, sneaking off in the middle of the night to make love. After a series of visits Ethan becomes extremely jealous and paranoid of all the time Sophie is spending with the other Ethan. It culminates in an awkward dinner party with all four as the other Ethan and Sophie try and explain what’s happening. I will leave out the ending of the film as it would defeat the purpose of watching it.
The unexplained fantasy/science fiction element is a refreshing twist on the romantic comedy but is merely the vehicle which drives the central themes of the story. A perspective-splitting look at the problems that most relationships suffer, yet never really discuss, and how last ditch attempt rarely acts as the soothing salve you hope it might. Instead, such attempts to rekindle that lost spark only manage to drive the wedge of separation deeper as you are reminded of how much the person you fell in love with has changed since those early days. The film perfectly sums up that lost feeling of a failed relationship and how it can take a momentous shake-up to get both sides to honestly analyse just how far the relationship has fallen. Furthermore, The One I Love hits at the heart of the dynamics of one-sided relationships in which, in this case Sophie, has already resigned to the death of their love.
If you enjoy The One I Love, available on Netflix, then I would recommend watching Safety Not Guaranteed, another film starring Mark Duplass, and another dramatic twist of science fiction proportions set to the romantic comedy vehicle.
http://www.cultnoise.com/film-review-one-i-love-no-ordinary-rom-com/
James Owens 