There’s a very particular breed of film which strikes a balance between “intimate” and “inventive”; I can probably count the number of recent examples on one hand, and most were written by the same guy. Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine, Synechdoche New York, Moon, Safety Not Guaranteed…

Anything I say about The One I Love would be a spoiler. Even broadly comparing it to those films is sort of a spoiler, but I’ll risk it, because it’s on iTunes and I want you to want to see it. The film is messy, clever, and genuinely surprising, with a wacky spirit that fits right alongside the best of the genre — even if it lacks the maturity which sharpens that spirit to a point. Director Charlie McDowell has interesting ideas and confidence to boot, and if he doesn’t quite reach the heights of the other Charlie, it’s a whole lot of fun to watch him try.

Bleep-filled intro, 10 minute spoiler-free review, and hour long spoiler section below: