Honest and realistic, not compromising but not always engrossing in the process, debut filmmaker Tony Barbieri's "One" is a subdued blue-collar drama about friendship, loyalty and trying to turn one's life around.
Well-received at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, "One" is a sure bet with critics and aficionados of truly adult movies -- the Bay Area filmmaker cites Bernardo Bertolucci and Krzysztof Kieslowski as primary influences.
Occasionally a commercially successful film ("Sling Blade", "The Apostle") eschews the contrived rhythms, conflicts and emotions of the majority of features. "One", produced by Barbieri's wife Wendy Cary, is almost in that league, and a savvy distributor could find it a classy, select-site asset over time.
Set in contemporary San Francisco and co-written by Jason Cairns, one of the lead actors, Barbieri's semiautobiographical film is somber and most of the characters are cold and distant from one another. The visual style, with static shots and fly-on-the-wall compositions, takes getting used to but has its rewards.
Nick Kane Picoy) is a garbage man who played minor-league baseball and now lives at home with his critical, belligerent father (Paul Herman). A loner with no ambitions, Nick goes through inner turmoil when he's accused of squandering his gifts as an athlete because of a bad attitude.
The film opens with Nick picking up longtime friend Charlie (Cairns), who has just been released from prison for helping his grandfather commit suicide. Charlie, who wants to become a teacher, is Nick's polar opposite but also haunted by his mistakes and threatened by his role in past events.
Charlie wants to rebuild his life, and he moves into Nick's house. He starts working with Nick and tells his matter-of-fact parole officer (Muhammed Hasan) about his ambitions. Soon he's delivering medical supplies to disabled children and meets attractive Sarah (Autumn MacIntosh).
While Nick is eventually inspired to seek out his old coach and revive his baseball career, Charlie moves out and falls in love with Sarah. Although Charlie's criminal record presents seemingly unsurmountable problems and Nick in turn moving in with him is straining their friendship, things are looking up when the film opts for a downbeat ending.
The low-key, organic charisma of the fine cast is a crucial element, but overall, "One" is a well-realized cinematic journey into the sad lives of two young men with great potential and talents they come to desperately not want to waste.
ONE
Two Nine Prods.
in association with 3 Ring Circus
Director: Tony Barbieri
Screenwriters: Tony Barbieri, Jason Cairns
Producer: Wendy Cary
Executive producers: Jeffrey Boortz,
John Sideropoulos, Johnny Wow
Director of photography: Matthew Irving
Editor: Jeffrey Stephens
Music: Todd Boekelheide
Production designer: Wendy Cary
Casting: Malia Levine
Color/stereo
Cast:
Nick: Kane Picoy
Charlie: Jason Cairns
Sarah: Autumn MacIntosh
Ted: Paul Herman
Dan: Muhammed Hasan
Running time -- 86 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Well-received at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, "One" is a sure bet with critics and aficionados of truly adult movies -- the Bay Area filmmaker cites Bernardo Bertolucci and Krzysztof Kieslowski as primary influences.
Occasionally a commercially successful film ("Sling Blade", "The Apostle") eschews the contrived rhythms, conflicts and emotions of the majority of features. "One", produced by Barbieri's wife Wendy Cary, is almost in that league, and a savvy distributor could find it a classy, select-site asset over time.
Set in contemporary San Francisco and co-written by Jason Cairns, one of the lead actors, Barbieri's semiautobiographical film is somber and most of the characters are cold and distant from one another. The visual style, with static shots and fly-on-the-wall compositions, takes getting used to but has its rewards.
Nick Kane Picoy) is a garbage man who played minor-league baseball and now lives at home with his critical, belligerent father (Paul Herman). A loner with no ambitions, Nick goes through inner turmoil when he's accused of squandering his gifts as an athlete because of a bad attitude.
The film opens with Nick picking up longtime friend Charlie (Cairns), who has just been released from prison for helping his grandfather commit suicide. Charlie, who wants to become a teacher, is Nick's polar opposite but also haunted by his mistakes and threatened by his role in past events.
Charlie wants to rebuild his life, and he moves into Nick's house. He starts working with Nick and tells his matter-of-fact parole officer (Muhammed Hasan) about his ambitions. Soon he's delivering medical supplies to disabled children and meets attractive Sarah (Autumn MacIntosh).
While Nick is eventually inspired to seek out his old coach and revive his baseball career, Charlie moves out and falls in love with Sarah. Although Charlie's criminal record presents seemingly unsurmountable problems and Nick in turn moving in with him is straining their friendship, things are looking up when the film opts for a downbeat ending.
The low-key, organic charisma of the fine cast is a crucial element, but overall, "One" is a well-realized cinematic journey into the sad lives of two young men with great potential and talents they come to desperately not want to waste.
ONE
Two Nine Prods.
in association with 3 Ring Circus
Director: Tony Barbieri
Screenwriters: Tony Barbieri, Jason Cairns
Producer: Wendy Cary
Executive producers: Jeffrey Boortz,
John Sideropoulos, Johnny Wow
Director of photography: Matthew Irving
Editor: Jeffrey Stephens
Music: Todd Boekelheide
Production designer: Wendy Cary
Casting: Malia Levine
Color/stereo
Cast:
Nick: Kane Picoy
Charlie: Jason Cairns
Sarah: Autumn MacIntosh
Ted: Paul Herman
Dan: Muhammed Hasan
Running time -- 86 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 2/26/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.