Retreat from Reality

I really, really, really want to tell you what happens in The One I Love, the smart and slithery new movie by director Charlie McDowell, but I can’t. To reveal the device at the center of this cinematic mind-fuck about a married couple on the skids and their surreal, disarming and ultimately transformative experiences during a weekend retreat suggested by their therapist would be tantamount to breaking the first rule of Fight Club (“Don’t talk about fight club”) or spilling the beans on Rosebud in Citizen Kane (it’s the sled). Spoilers, even when they’re floated in sheer enthusiasm, are nothing but sour grapes — alert or no alert. I won’t do it.

Instead, I’ll talk around this movie, in terms abstract but hopefully still helpful. I can tell you, safely, about the opening ten minutes of The One I Love, which introduce us to Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elisabeth Moss), who are attempting to reinvigorate their ebbing romantic connection by recreating the night they met, when they jumped into a neighbor’s swimming pool and got caught. This time around, their excited jump into the pool is met with no resistance; they just float there, waiting to get busted, and as it becomes apparent that the neighbor is not home, we witness the mute, intimate disappointment that sucks the air out of long-term relationships.

Enter the marriage counselor (Ted Danson) who, witnessing up close the dire state of Ethan and Sophie’s sexual stalemate, urges them to drive out to a country estate for a little romantic getaway. Every couple he’s sent that way, he says, has come back renewed. They take the bait. And what happens out at that weekend retreat — a lush colonial complete with a separate “guest house” and a sort of home studio called “The Coop” — is indeed “renewing,” in the same way that, say, a gargantuan dose of LSD when you least expect it is renewing.

The first half of the film is clever and insightful, as the strange happenings at the retreat bring Ethan and Sophie face-to-face with the impossible expectations they’ve placed on each other and the manner in which those expectations have calcified into resentment and dissatisfaction. And just as the conceit begins to wear thin, growing a bit too cutesy, the movie takes a dark and devious turn, sending the already unnerved couple down a rabbit hole of suspicion, doubt and betrayal.

Both Duplass (Safety Not Guaranteed) and Moss (Mad Men) are excellent in roles that demand a high level of subtlety and sophisticated characterization; in fact, it is their on-screen chemistry, revealed in small, familiar gestures and knowing looks, that grounds this film, which otherwise might have taken a disastrous left turn into pure pretense. It is best not to ask the big “why” at the center of The One I Love, but rather to give in to the logic of it’s illogic, and let it lead you to its final Twilight Zone reckoning — an end game where desire and commitment take on a whole new meaning.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!