Delayed Reaction: The One I Love

The Pitch: <Redacted>

This is a tough movie to talk about. Do I talk about it freely or do I spoil some of the surprise? For well known films, I don't mind talking freely about what happens. You probably know who Keyser Soze is by now or that Bruce Willis was dead the whole time. I don't think many people have seen The One I Love and I'd like to convince people to see it. Let's give it a try while being vague.

A married couple (Elisabeth Moss and Mark Duplass) are sent by their marriage therapist to a secluded estate for a weekend getaway. Once there, they find out that there's something special about that estate that makes them face their marital problems. And, that's about all I care to say. It's a clever concept and gives Moss and Duplass ample opportunity to give dynamic performances. There's a high concept premise to it that gets expanded on quite nicely for a while. It does reach a point of over-explaining things, which sucks some of the life out of the third act. The ending can only go one of two ways, and both have been done dozens of time before. The first hour or so does enough good things that I can accept some contrivance at the end. And Duplass and especially Moss are really good in it.

Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend