By Curt Wiser
- First a note from the reviewer. I am not a critic, I am a filmmaker; an artist. To frame that another way, I respect any creative work enough to praise if I like it, but also leave it alone if I secretly hated it. All art is subjective and is interpreted differently by each person. My promise to you good reader is that every movie I choose to review here for Scarlett Monet Magazine will have a rating of four stars or higher. There is far too much negativity out there (em, especially on the internet), I have decided not to be a part of that.
Some independent films have such a strong concept and intriguing story, that they do not need a major movie star on the poster to be a success. Plus One (AKA + 1) is one of those films that stands alone based on its own merits. In this Sci-Fi Thriller; three college friends go to the biggest house party of the year, when a cosmic phenomenon creates doubles of everyone there and chaos ensues. While we have seen this doppelganger concept in other movies such as The Double (2013), Primer (2004) and Multiplicity (1996), I feel Plus One takes it in a bold new direction.
The main storyline is a love story that is met with conflict. In the opening scene we are introduced to David as he shows up to watch his girlfriend Jill compete in a fencing match. The woman Jill fences against looks very similar to herself, which immediately brings us to the freudian theme of the film; that someone must confront the repressed side of themselves, that sometimes we are our own worst enemy. David ends up royally screwing up with Jill and sends the rest of the story trying to win her heart back. The fun part is, when these doubles start appearing and David uses it as a chance to apologize to Jill over and over again in the hope to get it right. He gets to do what we all wish we could at some point in our lives, which Jill at first makes clear when she says “Every second that passes is another second that you don't get to take back.”
Plus One also has entertaining flourishes that fit within the house party genre. You know, the usual drunken mayhem; like playing tennis inside a house while the ball is on fire (Yeah, nothing bad can come of that). Other moments feel like a horror film and some will leave you laughing. Two other diverging story lines we follow are of a soft spoken loner girl; Alison and David's best friend Teddy; who is lucky enough to lose his virginity on this crazy night when anything can happen. This is also not a movie that wastes any time; the main characters and the situations they will get to relive that night are quickly set up and then their doubles crash the party.
The most interesting thing about Plus One is that the premise has a built in level of suspense to it. These doubles reappear a few times over the course of the story and each time they are gaining on the original characters in the past. The first time, our main trio ends up spying on their doubles while they and the other party goers are doing what they did thirty minutes ago. When this occurs again the doubles are only fifteen minutes in the past, and so on. This leads to a building state of conflict and begs the question of us and the characters; what happens when you are forced to confront yourself?
FINAL THOUGHTS: Rhys Wakefield stars as David; most will know him as the guy who gave us chills with his performance as the gang leader in The Purge. Believe it or not, the funniest part of this movie is a sex scene. The movie is well paced and the logic of this supernatural story holds up because it is consistent. Plus One is highly original, it has more value when you watch it a second time and it gives you something to talk about afterward. So curl up with your + 1 and enjoy, because these movies are rare; they cause us to think about our own life while also being thoroughly entertaining. If David Lynch was in his 20's and decided to make a messed up house party movie, that would be Plus One.
PLUS ONE (2013)
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Sci-Fi, Thriller
Rated: Not Rated (Nudity)
Director: Dennis Lliadis - Dir. Credits include The Last House on the Left (2009)
Stars: Rhys Wakefield, Ashley Hinshaw, Logan Miller
Available on: Netflix (Streaming), Amazon (Steaming rent/buy), iTunes, DVD (IFC Midnight)
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