One


Photo Courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival

What strikes you immediately in One is that it reveals a visual director at work. On a shoestring budget, Tony Barbieri makes every moment count; in fact, he is a master at using each shot to relate a piece of the story. Barbieri and cowriter/actor Jason Cairns have chosen a stylistic minimal reality that is so simple and pure it works perfectly to capture the honesty of this story.

One is the tale of two boys (young men actually) in their midtwenties who are trying to pick up the pieces of their lives. Once brimming with promise, they have lost their way on the path to manhood. Charlie is fresh from prison, where he served a stint for the euthanasia killing of his grandfather. He moves into the family home of his best friend Nick, a promising baseball star who has been sacked from the Yankee farm team for slugging a manager. Now they must decide to stick together or choose the alternative: facing the world alone.

The cast is remarkable at sustaining long takes and works seamlessly as an ensemble. The actors are especially effective at creating the nuance of a family sagging under the oppression of a demanding father. One is a powerful piece that, whether intentionally or not, is reminiscent of Death of a Salesman, but with a very nineties resonance. In this sensitive study of the delicate nature of the male ego, the characters seem familiar, but their treatment is stark and fresh.

- John Cooper

Directed by: Tony Barbieri
Written by: Tony Barbieri, Jason Cairns
Starring: Jason Cairns, Kane Picoy, Paul Herman, Autumn Macintosh
Produced by: Wendy Cary
Original Music by: Todd Boekelheide