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Movie Review: One
By Joe Siwek Staff Writer In life, everyone must make decisions. Sometimes these decisions are small and trivial and we don’t even notice we’ve made them at all. But every now and then a decision comes along that can change our lives forever. Thus, the story of “One,” the debut film of director Tony Barbieri, now showing at the Fine Arts theater, which introduces us to two friends who have both made life-changing decisions and must now endure in the path they have led themselves down, for good or ill. This independent film was shot over a year’s time in 1996 and released the following year, but it was not until the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and the 1998 Los Angeles International Film Festival that it started to gain some recognition. “One,” however, remained without a distributor despite its favorable reviews. The Shooting Gallery, notorious for distributing independent films, picked up the film in the Spring of 2000 and began showing it in their new Shooting Gallery Film Series at Loews Cineplex Entertainment. Set in San Francisco, “One” begins with Charlie (Jason Cairns, who also co-wrote the film) being released from prison after serving time for assisting his grandfather in committing suicide. With no money and nowhere to turn, he goes to live with his best friend Nick (Kane Picoy) and his parents. Nick, a once promising baseball player who forfeited his opportunity to play pro-ball after he attacked his manager, and is now a garbage man, accepts his friend with open arms. He proceeds to get Charlie a job working with him and encourages him to save his money while he completes his court-ordered community service. However, Charlie has other ideas. From here the film starts to show us a different style of filmmaking that often falls upon deaf ears in America. Barbieri studied film in Europe while working as a photographer’s apprentice and was very influenced by European films. We can see this influence in his debut regarding the voyeuristic aspects of the film. Barbieri does not concentrate on a specific plot, but rather the identity of the characters and their reactions to given situations. Much to Nick’s chagrin, Charlie enrolls in a junior college and sets out to earn a degree in teaching. Nick can’t understand Charlie and his new lust for education, as well as his growing involvement in the community service program, which he completes and then continues on as a part-time volunteer. It is also in the community service program that Charlie meets his love interest, Sarah (played by Autumn Macintosh, Barbieri’s wife). All this adds to Nick's resentment of his own life until he is given another opportunity to play baseball. Nick’s coach from college pulls a few strings and gets him a tryout with an expansion major league baseball team. Nick believes he will make the team and enters tryouts with an attitude that is not very favorable with the scouts. The scouts believe he is good enough but know his past and try to sign him at a bargain price. Nick rejects the offer and finds himself jobless and homeless. Charlie, who had previously moved to his own apartment, offers Nick a room and we quickly see the two characters reverse roles. This turns out to be a very viable turning point as this character-driven movie shows us the importance of making life-changing decisions. Throughout the movie Nick had a steady job and is very content with the lifestyle he has chosen. Charlie on the other hand is doing his best to get away from his past and the shadows that follow him. Throughout the film Charlie had been receiving letters from a friend in prison. They are letters warning Charlie that his life might be in danger. While Charlie was in jail he witnessed the murder of one of his friends, went to the authorities, and informed them about the killer. Now the other parties involved in the murder are out of jail and looking for Charlie. Without any flash or even “Hollywood Suspense” the film boils down to an extremely dramatic ending involving past actions and decisions made by Charlie that he now must face up to. Life decisions, right or wrong, are key in the unfolding of the film and eventually lead to the character's demise. Back to top | Home Webmaster: Sal J. Barry The Columbia Chronicle is a student produced publication of Columbia College Chicago and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of Columbia College administrators, faculty or students. |
October 23, 2000
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