The One I Love is a crumpled-up love letter being tumble-dried inside one of the drums of The Twilight Zone.

Charlie McDowell manages to crack open a window and pump a fresh breeze into a genre bloated with stale air. The One I Love is witty, fabulously acted, and shot inventively as a series of short scenes, each bursting with exclamation marks and energy.

But the real joy it delivers is seeing how its characters respond to their extraordinary circumstances in a way that feels genuine, rather than a succession of demonstrations of love between screenwriter and concept.

The term ‘dramedy’ seems to be used too regularly to describe films that are either not funny enough to be comedies or not dramatic enough to be dramas. The One I Love reclaims the title by being both a ticklish romantic comedy and a touching drama – with some wicked ideas too.

RATING 4/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Mark Duplass, Elisabeth Moss, Ted Danson

DIRECTOR: Charlie McDowell

WRITER: Justin Lader

SYNOPSIS: Struggling with a marriage on the brink of falling apart, a couple escapes for a weekend in pursuit of their better selves, only to discover an unusual dilemma that awaits them.