A group of crazies tries its hand at social engineering in “1BR,” a claustrophobic thriller set in a Los Angeles apartment complex whose evils the sun never comes close to disinfecting.
For Sarah (Nicole Brydon Bloom), recently arrived in Hollywood with plans to become a costume designer, her new home seems idyllic. The upbeat manager (Taylor Nichols) has chosen her over dozens of applicants, and her handsome neighbor (Giles Matthey) is almost uncomfortably solicitous. The other residents can’t do enough for one another, sharing barbecues and loving concern for the aging actress (Susan Davis) who appears to be everyone’s favorite.
But there’s a Stepford quality to their congeniality that Sarah shrugs off, moving in with her cat in tow and in violation of the building’s no-pets policy. Harder to ignore are the creepy attentions of Lester (Clayton Hoff), who skulks around on the fringes of gatherings and leers at her through glasses with one lens mysteriously blackened. Already unsettled by the family issues she’s trying to escape, Sarah soon finds her Zoloft can’t compete with the ominous noises that keep her awake all night and, it seems, only she can hear.
Drawing on a fascination with cults and utopian communities, the director and co-writer, David Marmor, has created a mildly entertaining survival story whose depiction of psychological indoctrination far outstrips its generic dips into torture. Bloom is too bland to persuasively dramatize the stakes, and the movie’s shocks (sorry, kitty!) are too conventional to scare. But the ending is nicely done, and the script’s beady focus on the corrosive embrace of groupthink feels fresh and unexpectedly satisfying.
1BR
Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes. Rent or buy on AppleTV, FandangoNOW and other streaming platforms and pay TV operators.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
