The One I Love
Description
Longtime couple Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elisabeth Moss) are still in love, but a mean streak has started to color all of their interactions and squabbling has replaced sex. Dedicated to salvaging what was once a healthy and loving relationship, the pair start seeing a therapist (Ted Danson) who suggests that they spend a weekend at an idyllic country property with a 100% success rate at mending ailing relationships. Ethan and Sophie eagerly sign up, and the house is even more gorgeous than the marriage counselor described—rolling greenery, a swimming pool, even a small cottage behind the main house. Almost immediately, Ethan and Sophie are more affectionate, flirty and fun than they’ve been in years. Something must be wrong here. Working from Justin Lader’s clear-headed script, first-time director Charlie McDowell’s deft direction navigates twists and turns that would trip up a lesser helmsman. Calling to mind early collaborations between Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman, The One I Love is anchored by clever and acrobatic performances by Moss and Duplass. —Mike Keegan
Biographies
The One I Love is Los Angeles native Charlie McDowell’s first feature. He’s also the author of the book Dear Girls Above Me, based on his popular Twitter feed. When he was six, his dad dressed him up for Halloween as A Clockwork Orange’s Alex, which is especially funny when you take into account that his father is that classic film’s star Malcolm McDowell.