The Duplass Menagerie

Film criticism is interesting. Here's what's so interesting about it. You might have noticed that here, on my blog, I don't give films ratings or grades. Well that's deliberate in a way. When you call a film flawless, that is to say, it is a "perfect" movie, you are implying that there is some checklist of things that, should a movie meet said requirements, earns the film an A+. The only problem with that is we can't come up with a list of things a movie should do because every movie is trying to do something different. There can't be a standardized scale by which a movie is judged because the requirements change from film to film, and accounting for that in a mathematical way is just kind of impossible. So when a reviewer of movies uses a rating system, you are accepting that there is a level of bias inherent in that system.

One critic's 100% is not the same as another critic's 10/10, and as readers of reviews, you guys get that. Conversely, when a reviewer doesn't use a rating system, which is ok too, you are accepting as the readers that this reviewer is trusting you to take the words they have written and to do some critical thought yourselves, coming to your own conclusions about how much or how little you would like the movie they are discussing. You are being asked to rate the film yourselves in a way. So just keep in mind that when I call a movie "perfect", or "flawless" I am not suggesting that there can exist a perfect movie, and that this movie is that. I don't believe such a movie can exist. What I am suggesting is that I, with my many biases and preferences, believe that film to be without flaw. Ok, now that we've covered this...

Perfect movie.

(No Spoilers In This One)

Also yes I know that that's technically the cover for the soundtrack, but it's the same as the movie poster, so whatever. Not worth the time it would take to change the picture. 

When you set out to do something like write a thriller, or a comedy, or a romance, or any combination of the three, you are setting yourself up for failure. Either you're trying to write one of those stories, and do it well, in which case you have a century's worth of cliches and recycled plots working against you, OR you're trying to combine all three into one story, which can and should be a complete tonal nightmare. 

Now imagine a movie that did all those things, the thrills, the laughs, the love, and did them successfully. Sounds like a great fucking time, now doesn't it?

The One I Love is more than just the sum of its parts. It is a truly original, truly captivating, truly funny story of two regular people, who share a very irregular weekend together. 

Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elizabeth Moss) are struggling to keep their marriage intact, even resorting to seeking the help of a comically unorthodox therapist (Ted Danson) in doing so. Danson's therapist character recommends the two take a weekend holiday together in a secluded house in the country, and what starts off as a cute little trip quickly turns weird and unnerving. 

It's best if you don't know any more than that.

The performances on display here are phenomenal, and I mean that so sincerely. Moss and Duplass shine in roles seemingly written for the expressed purpose of examining popular stock characters in the modern romantic comedy. Neither one of them completely is or isn't the character you think they are, and as the story progresses, that becomes more and more apparent. 

Thematically, this movie tackles something very familiar to a lot of people. The feeling of losing something and being powerless to get it back. In the case of Ethan and Sophie, that something is a memory. An image of their past selves, romantic and happy people that time and betrayal have made almost unrecognizable. That is the heart of this film. Trying and failing to relive the past versus moving on and having new experiences with, get ready for it, the one you love. BOOM. USED THE TITLE, BOO YAH, GET AT ME, I'M A BEAST, THAT WAS DEFINITELY AS IMPRESSIVE AS I THINK IT WAS.

The chemistry between the leads is fantastic. Every line, every situation, every instance of eye contact feels real and charged with the kind of emotion you would expect to be brewing between two married individuals with some very intense trust issues. I didn't just laugh when these two were on screen together, I gasped, I cried (not actually), I cringed, I yelled, I went on the journey with these actors and I couldn't think of another pair of people that could've done it better. At least for the particular story this movie was trying to tell. 

There's something old school about this movie that I really appreciate. It feels like a modern spin on a Hitchcockian sort of concept; there's a gimmick at play here, a "thing" that makes this movie unique and appealing (even though I'd rather not say what) and that reminds me a lot of the old Hollywood way of doing things. 

The cinematography is fantastic. As natural as the lighting feels and looks, the craftiness with which certain shots must have been achieved is something to really admire. Watch the movie if you want to really get what I mean by that. 

Charlie McDowell's direction is equally as skilled. This is really Ethan and Sophie's story, and special care is taken to stress the important of 2's and symmetry in the framing and blocking of every sequence. Just look at the frame pictured above, look past the actors sitting on the floor and at the space itself. The film is filled to the brim with imagery as wonderful as that right there.

I personally love this kind of shit. Small, intimate films, that you can tell are produced around great scripts and new ideas. This is the process I want to see more of, hell, this is the process I want to be a part of. At the end of the day, the movies that make us think, and keep us thinking long after the last frame has cut or faded to black, those are the movies that really inspire me. This is undoubtedly one of those movies. 

This is the kind of movie that tricks you into thinking it was easier to make than it actually was. Every movement looks unplanned, every moment feels like it just happened to happen while a camera was rolling. As shell-shocking as certain revelations might be, when characters surprise you, it never feels forced or unnecessary. Every plot twist feels earned and intriguing, and every story beat only serves to add something to the story that's being told. Oh yeah, by the way, the ending? One of my absolute favorites. I won't say another word.

Now do you see what I mean about the "flawless" movie? Sure if I was comparing this film to Citizen Kane I could give you a dozen examples of things it doesn't do correctly, but this movie isn't supposed to be Citizen Kane, and it would be wrong of me to try and make that comparison. This film is trying to do and say certain things, and it is my view that it is successful in doing all of it. Just like a philosophical proof can be valid by the rules and standards it establishes, regardless of whether you agree with the proof's conclusion, a movie can succeed in doing what it sets out to do regardless of whether or not you like the movie. 

I don't care how jaded or bored you might think you are when it comes to movies, this one will surprise you, and I pretty much guarantee that. I can't really recommend it more than I already have, so I'll just say, please, PLEASE, seek this movie out. If you are even the least bit curious why I had to hold back so much of the plot in this review, if you have any desire at all to know what this movie's "thing" is, give it a watch and your questions will be answered. The mystique and uncertainty is what had me anticipating this movie so highly in the first place, so hopefully, you're feeling like giving it a chance by now. For those of you with Netflix, it's on there, so, you don't have to go anywhere. It would almost be easier to watch it than to avoid it at this point. 

Thanks for reading, and for those of you who HAVE seen the movie, and know what goes down, or any of you who watch it in the near future, post any comments and let me know if you'd like me to go in depth with spoilers, and maybe decode what this movie is trying to say. It's the kind of thing I'd be down to write anyways, but I'll definitely give it a go if any of y'all would want to read it. Thanks, and stay lovely, my friends.