Special Exhibit: THE ONE I LOVE

Year: 2014

Duration: 1 hour, 31 minutes.

Where to Watch: Netflix

I remember seeing the poster for this film (not pictured here) for the very first time and feeling strange. There is something unsettling about it. It looks a bit creepy and maybe just a bit (unintentionally, I thought) funny. In any case, I decided to give the film a pass, and I didn't got to watch it until about five years after its release. What I found was a surprisingly interesting film which was, as it turns out, a bit creepy and just a bit funny (albeit intentionally).

The film was directed by Charlie McDowell, the son of veteran actors Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork's Orange, etc.) and Mary Steenburgen (Back to the Future Part III, etc.). His mother appears in the film in a voice-only cameo, as does his stepfather, Ted Danson (The Good Place, etc.), though his is a physical role. The couple's house also served as a filming location, and Charlie's then girlfriend, actress Rooney Mara, was the costume designer, so everything stayed within the family.

I think that going into the movie without prior knowledge was part of what made it more enjoyable, since I had no idea of what the concept was and I was genuinely surprised. So I would suggest you to actually watch it before reading the rest of the recommendation. Counterintuitive, I know. Anyway, if you don't mind a relatively early but crucial spoiler, read on.

The One I Love reminded me of the tone of Get Out, a comedic thriller with a Sci-fi twist and a sinister atmosphere, minus the racial commentary. However, the premise is more similar to Jordan Peele's later film, Us, as it also deals with mysterious doppelgängers.

The main characters are Ethan and Sophie, a married couple played by Mark Duplass (The Morning Show) and the always creepy Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men, The Handmaid's Tale). Feeling disconnected from each other, they go to a therapist (the character played by Danson), who offers them the opportunity to take a few days together at an isolated property.

The place consists of a main house and a guests' cottage, and it's within that second building where odd things start to happen. Ethan notices that when he's in there, his wife acts unusually loving and compliant, but she seems to have no memory of their interactions there whenever they talk outside.

It doesn't take long for the characters and the audience to understand that whenever one of the spouses enters the cottage, an idealized double of the other appears, but that if they enter together, nobody manifests at all. These doppelgängers also seem unable to leave their cottage, so the original couple, who are naturally curious, decide to exploit the phenomenon in order to spend time with the doubles. They establish a few boundaries which are of course promptly broken, leading to confusion, jealousy, and some uncomfortable fun (at least for the viewer).

As everyone should know by now, Moss is an excellent actress, but I wasn't very familiar with Duplass except for a few minor roles. Both shine in their dual roles and the different chemistries of each possible pairing, which is a good thing, because other than the brief appearance of Danson, they are the only actors on screen.

Notably, the film is the feature debut of both the writer and the director, and their execution of the relatively simple idea is brilliant. I'd particularly congratulate McDowell on his mastery of tone. This concoction of humor, intrigue, marriage counseling and unexpected chills is quite unique.