One Day
2011 · Directed by Lone Scherfig
Original language: English
- drama
- romance
The story
After spending the night together on the eve of their college graduation, Dexter and Emma are shown each year on the same date to see where they are in their lives. They are sometimes together, and sometimes not.
What it’s like
Warm, bright English summers alternate with grey, drizzled winters, and the film moves through them with an easy, observational eye: sun-washed Edinburgh rooftops and a Mediterranean-blue holiday, then sooty London flats, cramped bedsits and sleek, glassy offices. Camera work stays unfussy and conversational, with plenty of medium two-shots and warm interiors lit by lamps and kitchen windows, and the score is a gentle, piano-led wash that lets the silences breathe. Its vibe is bittersweet and wistful, with a light comic streak: a rainy Sunday on the sofa, or a comfort rewatch with a cup of tea. Pacing is brisk, since each year-long jump arrives as a fresh snapshot, and the emotional register swings between tender and ruefully funny. The central pair circle one another over two decades, growing up, drifting apart and returning, a slow study in timing and what might have been. Intensity is low: there is no violence, and the sexual content is brief and non-graphic, though a few scenes of grief, illness and heartbreak carry real melancholy. It suits viewers who want a romance that is honest about disappointment, and anyone who enjoys character-led stories about friendship and missed chances.
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