The One I Love
The opening scene shows Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elisabeth Moss) telling their marriage therapist (Ted Danson) the story of how they met. "We met at a party and it was magic." says Ethan. One thing led to another and the next thing they knew, they were jumping into the neighbors pool. Turns out, the neighbor was home, came out screaming and it was the greatest night of their life. They tell the Therapist that they tried to recreate that moment on their anniversary, but this time, no one came out. Sophie says she felt sad. "Happiness used to be so easy, but no longer" says Sophie. She wants to trust and forgive him, but can't agree on how to get there.The Therapist sends them to a retreat, to "reset the reset button". Everyone he sends there comes back renewed.The couple arrives at the retreat and it's beautiful. There's still a lot of awkward silence between them, however. Ethan explores and can't find anyone home. At "The Coop" house, he sees a computer and recording system.He finds a "Guest House" where inside there is a book with a lot of comments from past guests on how wonderful the place was.At the main house, Ethan prepares a nice dinner; they drink some wine, smoke some pot and relax. He tells her about the guest house he found. While Ethan cleans up after dinner, Sophie goes exploring and finds the guest house. To her surprise, she finds Ethan there, waiting for her. They have a playful evening and even have sex. They say they love each other. Things between them are great.They decide to sleep there at the guest house, but first, Sophie goes back to the main house to change clothes. When she gets to the main house, she finds Ethan asleep on the couch. She questions how he got there so fast. He asks why she's so sweaty. She laughs, because it's obvious since they just had sex. "What?!" Ethan's confused. Sophie doesn't understand why he's trying to ruin the night, and goes to bed, alone.Ethan goes back to the guest house and sees the evidence of the romantic evening. He smokes some pot, and falls asleep on the couch. Sophie lies down and snuggles with him. He apologizes and says he loves her. When he wakes up in the morning, she's making breakfast. Strangely, she's making bacon, even though she hates it when he has bacon. He questions why they had such a weird argument last night. "Was it the wine, the pot?" She doesn't seem a bit fazed, saying it was a lovely night.Ethan heads back to the main house and a still pissed-off Sophie comes out of the bathroom. He grabs her and takes her to the main house, but it's empty again, with no sign of breakfast. The go outside and he explains all of the craziness that's going on.He decides, as a test, to go back in the guest house alone and finds Sophie coming out of the shower. He runs back outside and tells Sophie that he just handed her a towel, inside. She says she's not mad anymore, just scared, and goes into the guest house by herself. Inside, she sees a happy Ethan doing morning exercises. She eventually comes out and tells Ethan that he's inside exercising.They pack their bags and get the hell out of there.They stop for coffee to discuss it. They want to just forget it happened, but can't. They begin to wonder if they should actually go back and explore it. Sophie says that it was magical, it wasn't just the weed. It wasn't dangerous and she felt safe. She thinks that if they go back, it will help their relationship. He says it's a little weird that she slept with the other him.They make it back to the guest house and decide that they can go in one at a time, since it only works that way. Ethan enters and his breakfast and a happy Sophie are waiting for him. She missed him. He quizzes her and she seems to be perfectly normal.Ethan goes back outside and tells Sophie what happened. They decide to make some ground rules. Have fun, but if they become uncomfortable, they'll just pack up and go. No intimacy, no spying, be honest with each other about what happens. Make it 15 minute sessions inside.Sophie goes next. Ethan sets a timer on his phone. Inside, Sophie finds Ethan painting a portrait of her. They share some drinks and have a nice conversation.Back at the main house, Ethan sees that it's been over 15 minutes and heads over to the guest house and tries to get in. He peeks through the window and sees the other Ethan giving Sophie a back massage. Sophie sees him and leaves.At dinner in the main house, she says that the other Ethan is what, in her mind, what Ethan used to be. They go to bed but he wakes up in the middle of the night and says that he wants to have his 15 minute session at the guesthouse now. He actually just goes over and hides his phone with an audio recording app, then goes back to bed at the main house.The next morning we see Sophie at the guest house having a fun conversation with the other Ethan. She leaves and Ethan sneaks back in to retrieve the recorder, but it's not there. The other Sophie appears and gives him the phone (recorder). Outside, he takes it out to listen, but it's all garbled/static.It's Sophie's turn. The other Ethan is up in a loft and wants to have a playful game of tic tac toe. As they play, he asks why she doesn't kiss him anymore. He misses it. It looks like they will kiss and the scene ends.Cut to that evening at the main house. While in bed, Sophie gets a text from the other Ethan and laughs. The real Ethan finds it strange that the other Ethan has a phone.In the morning at the guest house, Sophie questions the other Ethan about why he cheated on her. He just said they were falling apart and he made a horrible decision. He's so happy that she stuck with him and thanks her for making all the effort to make their marriage work. They kiss.The next morning, Ethan asks Sophie if she wants to talk. He says this weekend is very confusing. He's not the sit-up guy and can't be interested in another version of her. He wants to be sure that she agrees, which she says she does.That afternoon, Ethan checks his phone and has a lot of strange messages. One of them came from a guy complaining about Ethan calling him at 2:00 am, and that the next time he can't remember where he lived, to ask Sophie. One came from his mother, worried that he just didn't sound like himself when he called yesterday. Finally, one told him where he (Ethan) lives.Ethan goes back inside the main house and tells her about the calls. He thinks the other Ethan called them. She says he wouldn't do that.Ethan says that he's leaving for the store, but actually, just parks outside and spies on the guest house. He waits, and just as the real Sophie is about to enter through the front door, he comes in the side door, pretending to be the other Ethan. She talks about how great he is at talking about her feelings, it's everything that she wanted to hear, but doesn't know what to do. She can't get it out of her head. They have sex, with Sophie still thinking it's the other Ethan.Later, back at the main house, a depressed Ethan returns. Sophie asks where the groceries are, but he tells her that the shop was closed.Later, he goes back to the guest house to see the other Sophie. He tells her she's not real and asks who she is, what she is. He's having a hard time enjoying the weekend because it appears that this is the weekend he loses his wife. She says it wasn't just this weekend, as his wife, she knows these things.Later, back at the main house, Ethan watches Sophie leave the guest house, pause, and then go back inside. Cut to the other Ethan and the real Sophie having fun inside, making out. The real Ethan shows up and the real Sophie sees him and meets him outside. He wants to know whats going on. The two argue and leave, back to the main house.Inside the main house, they find the other Sophie and Ethan, waiting for them. They have decided that it's time the four of them get to know each other. They have a nice dinner party but the real Ethan is still very uncomfortable. Everyone else seems happy, including the real Sophie. The two Sophies talk and the other Sophie questions if the real Sophie is more concerned about what she and the real Ethan did, or what the other Ethan told her (the other Sophie) about what he and the real Sophie did. For the sake of the super-fun evening they're about to have, the other Sophie says they need to quit pretending how much they like each other, and try to have fun anyway.Outside, the two Ethans talk. The real Ethan thinks the other one is trying to sabotage his relationship. The other one replies that he's doing that to himself.Back inside the main house, the two couples play cards. The other Ethan is the life of the party. The real Sophie is having fun, which pisses off the real Ethan. The other Ethan tells the real Sophie about Ethan tricking her earlier. Sophie wants the real Ethan to leave.The real Ethan leaves. He heads to "The Coop" house, finds a computer with all the files of past guests, and finds a file on him and Sophie. He finds an audio of a couple practicing to sound like them.Back at the guest house, the real Ethan tries to leave but is trapped inside. He can hear the other three having fun outside in the pool.In the morning, the other Sophie enters the guest house. She explains that the other Ethan fell in love with the real Sophie. That wasn't supposed to happen. The real Sophies supposed to fall out of love with the real Ethan. That's how the others get out, becoming them. Once that happens, it's the real ones turn to stay. That's why he couldn't get out of the house, the change is slowly happening. Only two people can leave today, she says. She still loves the other Ethan. She would rather be trapped there at the guest house than see the other Ethan with the real Sophie. Ethan asks if she has real feelings, like a real person. "I am real", she says.Back at the main house, the real Sophie and the other Ethan are getting ready for a hike. The other Sophie joins them at the house and tricks the real Sophie into a meeting with the real Ethan, while the other Sophie wears one of the real Sophies shirts and heads down to the other Ethan who thinks she's the real Sophie.The real couple discuss the weekend, with Ethan explaining that it was all a trapThe other couple have a talk (with the other Ethan mistakenly thinking he's talking to the real Sophie). The other Sophie, pretending to be the real Sophie, tells him that she doesn't want to leave with the real Ethan, she wants to leave with him. He agrees, telling her that he loves her, obviously breaking her heart. The other Ethan senses what just happened and asks where the real Sophie is. He goes running around the house, looking for her. The real couple lock themselves in a room while the real Ethan tells the real Sophie that he loves her, and even though he's not as cool as the other Ethan, he's her husband and he's not letting her go. Give him a chance.The other Ethan breaks down the door and they have a confrontation. Finally, the other Ethan asks the real Sophie to come with him, and she wont. He runs out of the house, attempting to free himself of the house for good. Just as he's about to break free, he's stopped by a force field of some kind and falls to the ground, unconscious. The real Ethan looks at the two Sophies and says we have to go. He grabs Sophie and they escape.The next morning they are OK. They escaped and feel much better with their marriage. Sophie goes down to make breakfast. Ethan asks what's for breakfast and she says bacon. He then realizes that he grabbed the wrong Sophie. He thinks about it, and says, "I'll be right there".
alternate reality, magical realism