Only You (2018) has all the elements of your typical romantic drama. Two strangers share a taxi on New Years Eve, they talk, dance, and a fast-paced relationship begins. From the start of the film you expect nothing more than your basic boy-meets-girl plot. As with most romantic dramas, the plot veered towards melodrama and cheesy dialogue.
However, Josh O’Conner and Laia Costa’s strong performances managed to create believable chemistry. As we follow their tumultuous relationship, we are given an interesting and genuine exploration of female fertility. Elena (Costa) and Jake (O’Conner) spend majority of the film struggling with the fallout of their inability to conceive. This not only impacts their relationship emotionally, but also financially and socially. It is difficult to watch Elena’s attempts to navigate the world around her as a single, childless woman in her thirties, particularly as her peers start families of their own. The film delves into the stressful process of IVF. This places financial strain on Elena and Jake’s relationship and it becomes an emotionally and physically taxing experience that further complicates Elena’s relationship with her own body.
Despite the level of sensitivity that Wootliff has used in portraying the subject matter at hand, it still fails to justify the film’s lengthy two-hour run-time. There were multiple points in the film in which the plot stalled and the pacing slowed in favour of some unnecessary cheesy dialogue. Overall, Wootliff has created a compelling narrative that highlights the complex impact of female fertility on relationships with admirable frankness.
Janine Lau