One of the more buzzed about projects at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was freshman director Charlie McDowell’s The One I Love. The film stars Mark Duplass (Tammy, Safety Not Guaranteed) and Elisabeth Moss (TV’s Mad Men, Get Him to the Greek) as a couple who attempt to mend their crumbling marriage by escaping for a weekend at a vacation house, only to find an unusual dilemma once they arrive. If that synopsis sounds unspecific and vague, that’s because the crucial plot twist of the film has been deliberately kept under wraps by Radius-TWC, the boutique distribution label of The Weinstein Company. The ambiguity of the synopsis and how it bodes in the marketing of the film has been an issue explored here previously. Now, with the release of the trailer, Radius-TWC has given us some idea as to how they will promote the movie.
The trailer, staying consistent with the promotion for the film thus far, only vaguely alludes to what might be occurring between the couple, but offers no clear or precise explanation.
Whether this marketing approach works remains to be seen, yet it’s hard to bet against Radius-TWC after their surprising multi-platform success with Bong Joon-Ho’s Snowpiercer earlier this summer. That film, not without its own controversies, ended up doing well for them in both the theatrical and VOD markets. And being as the VOD audience tends to generally be more favorable towards quirky, indie projects like The One I Love, it seems that the ill-defined marketing for the film may not put off viewers.
Ted Danson (CSI, HBO’s Bored to Death) also stars in the film as the couple’s therapist. The script was written by first timer Justin Lader, although a lot of dialogue between the two leads was reportedly improvised. Radius-TWC will release The One I Love in theaters on August 22nd.
Leave a Comment