One (1998)

67% of critics liked it
(15 reviews)
50% of users liked it
(386 ratings)

Tony Barbieri made his directorial debut with this psychological drama about two old friends. Garbage collector Nick (Kane Picoy) once had a promising baseball career until he hit his manager. Now he lives in a building owned by his father (Paul Herman), who can't forgive his son's failure. Nick… More Tony Barbieri made his directorial debut with this psychological drama about two old friends. Garbage collector Nick (Kane Picoy) once had a promising baseball career until he hit his manager. Now he lives in a building owned by his father (Paul Herman), who can't forgive his son's failure. Nick drives to the state penitentiary where he picks up longtime pal Charlie (Jason Cairns), imprisoned on manslaughter charges for helping his grandfather take his life. Charlie's parole requires community service, so he delivers medical supplies to disabled children. His parole officer (Muhammed Hassan) warns him not to go near the children, and Charlie gets a warning because he helps a child who has fallen out of his wheelchair. Since Charlie spends time on his college studies and also takes a romantic interest in his supervisor Sara (Autumn Macintosh), he sees less of Nick, and their friendship collapses. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 28 min.
Directed By: Tony Barbieri
Written By: Jason Cairns, James Wong, Tony Barbieri, Glen Morgan, Cormac Wibberley
Genres: Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Oct 13, 2000 Wide
On DVD: Dec 17, 2002

Critic Reviews

Jay Carr, Boston Globe
So tautly, engrossingly and convincingly told that it doesn't need much dialogue.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Serious and uncompromising filmmaking in the best sense of the words.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
An effective, but self-conscious, exercise in contemporary neo-realism.
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion
Goes too far in the direction of reticence, deliberately dampening the emotional resonance of the story so persistently that the characters become opaque and the narrative overly flat and matter-of-fact, even at the most wrenching moments.
John A. Nesbit, ToxicUniverse.com
One has some interesting scenes, but not enough to recommend it to most audiences.
Robert Strohmeyer, Filmcritic.com
This flick has all the trimmings of a fourth-year film school final project and just isn't ready for the big screen.
David Luty, Film Journal International
Screenplay also telegraphs the fates of both characters from very early on, a decision that sucks out a great deal of potential suspense and drama.
Scott Renshaw, Scott Renshaw's Screening Room
Even with such a mega-subdued story, One is still strangely watchable.
, E! Online
An affecting tale of friendship and failure.

Read all 9 critic reviews

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Cast

Jason Cairns
as Charlie
Kane Picoy
as Nick
Paul Herman
as Ted

Autumn Macintosh
as Sara
Ed Lynch

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