Austin Film Festival: ‘One Night’ Is An Imperfect, Interesting Look At An Age-Old Question (FILM REVIEW)

[rating=6.00]

It’s a conversation that absolutely anyone who’s been in a relationship can identify with: “What if we could go back and change this?” That’s the question at the center of One Night, a romantic drama-dy from writer/director Minahl Baig, in which a couple in their 30s, Elizabeth and Drew, played by Anna Camp and Justin Chatwin, travel back in time to the night they met as teenagers, Bea and Andy, played by Isabelle Fuhrman and Kyle Allen.

While Elizabeth and Drew freely interact with their younger selves, they begin to have their doubts if they really want to sabotage the night Bea and Andy first connected, potentially saving themselves the years of frustrating arguments and unhappiness that follows. Then, once there (in the past), Elizabeth and Drew seem to become charmed by their younger selves, engaging them in casual conversation, offering cryptic advice about their future, all while Bea and Andy scoff and roll their eyes at these strangers who seem insistent in telling them how their life is going to end up.

It’s worth noting that the time travel “gimmick,” for lack of a better word, was effectively downplayed and even made into a believable plot device, at least in the context of the film. Unfortunately, it does lead to the film’s major shortcoming, which is basically that you’re watching a couple fight — constantly — at two different phases of their life. Given that it’s impossible to take any of the context of what their high school selves are fighting over seriously, (I mean, they’re in high school), it’s inherently difficult to take anything their adult selves seriously, either.

That being said, the interplay between the older/younger selves is cleverly fraught with real-life gender differences, such as Elizabeth telling Bea about the despondency of aging and the societal trappings therein, whereas Drew simply talks to Andy about photography equipment. In that regard, it’s Anna Camp who really holds the film together, giving a subtly sad-eyed performance of a woman who yearns to be happy while struggling to understand what that would entail.

However, the gaping physical differences between the two stars who play different version are significant, and while Baig had indicated it was an artistic choice to accent the different people these characters were/are, it ended up being more a distraction than a pertinent artistic statement.

Still, Baig has an ear for clever dialogue, and as has created a pretty good film out of a compelling idea, one that’s filled with individual scenes that will prompt audiences to put themselves in a character’s shoes. It’s shortfall becomes apparent after stepping back and looking at it as a whole, in which the film comes a little too close to hanging out with those old friends of yours, the ones who have been together forever, but seem to argue constantly. The welcome difference being that, with One Night, you get the glimmer of hope by the time the credits role.