MovieChat Forums > The One I Love (2014) Discussion > Easy Answer to Ending

Easy Answer to Ending

posted 9 years ago by gregcodori
8 replies | jump to latest

First the basics:
The doubles (E2 and S2) are the idealized versions of E1 and S1.
E2 is outgoing, assertive and apologetic. Everything S1 wants to hear.
S2 will be described below.

S2, when we first meet her crawls over and rests with E1. Her first words are "I love you". This shows that she is loving even in a non-sexual way (S1 sleeps with E2), while S1 is cold towards E1. S1 is always angry and frowning.

S2 in the morning is warm to E1, apologetic, accepting of blame and can admit wrong-doing. All things S1 would not do. The big difference is that S2 smiles...A LOT. Even when upset. To the point of giving a little head nod and smile. That is her "tell" (each person has a "tell" that gives them away). The red herring is the hair clip -that's not the tell, it's the head-nod and smile. Again, S1 is always upset and frowning.

There is a role reversal that happens at the end.

By the end of the movie, E2 has become all of the bad things that E1 was (rude, selfish, combative). He tell everyone to *beep*-off and takes off on his own. He has had his reversal.

S2 has confronted E2 about his infidelity (he wants to leave with S1) and you'll notice her smile is gone, especially after the kiss with E2.

E1 takes S1 into the bathroom and gives his speech. he has become the person that S1 wanted him to be. That is his role reversal.

In the same scene S1, upon hearing the change in E1, loses the frown and gains a smile. A smile and even a wink/head-nod to E1 (there is a very distinct head-nod she gives to E1 - THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT). That is the "tell." You can now tell who S1 is by the smile/nod. You can identify S2 by the angry frown. And why not...her boyfriend (E2) cheated.

When it's time to pick between S1 and S2, S1 gives the same smile and nod to E1. S2 is dejected at the actions of E2 and knows she must stay.

Both E1 and S1 have grown as people, which is the whole purpose of the retreat. S1 even tolerates bacon for breakfast. She even says something to the effect "I think we'll have bacon" instead of "how about bacon again."

It's the song at the end, not the bacon (just like the smile being the "tell" not the hair clip), that is the red herring.

So in effect, S1 and E1 became the better versions of themselves (S2 and E2). Thoughts?

[–] SweetTea742 9 years ago

Spot on gregcodori!!!

You so far, have had the best explanation. I have been reading different theories and I like yours best!

Your explanation isn't over the top but it flows and it makes sense.

I like your spin on the role reversal...

E1 takes S1 into the bathroom and gives his speech. he has become the person that S1 wanted him to be. That is his role reversal.

at the end of the retreat, they both become better versions of themselves, they're not perfect but they made mistakes, learn't and matured and became in sync with each other.

I'm curious to know your thoughts on these actual lookalike beings? What are they? Where did they come from? Are they real people? How did they look like the couple in distress?

[–] gregcodori 9 years ago

The beings were part of the whole "twilight zone" thing going on here. They were supernatural beings, and we were even given a glimpse of this when E1 finds the recording on the laptop and hears the voices of the other beings. The piano must cast some kind of spell, because we hear the voices change to match those of E1 and S1 as the beings take their new forms.

As with most sci-fi and supernatural movies and shows like the twilight zone, a great deal of "how could this happen" is left up to the viewer to decide. It's all about the journey. Over thinking it ruins the magic of it. I guess that these beings left at the house will morph into the next couple that Ted Danson treats. It's like their purgatory, they can't leave until they grow as beings (very spiritual, if you think about it).

[–] lathe-of-heaven 9 years ago

On the nose mate!

Nicely done... 

Fascinating 2nd comment too! (although S2 DID insist to E1 that she IS a person too...???)

I now have over 7000 films; many of them very rare and OOP. I LOVE to trade. PLEASE ASK! 

[–] bliss66 8 years ago

It is deeply ambiguous. It is either as you say, with S1 demonstrating her acceptance of E1 or, alternatively, S2 errs by offering him bacon and thus revealing her lack of authenticity. E1 is either impressed with the progress he and S1 has made or he is resigned to the fact that he left with S2 and recognises that, regardless, he is happy with his choice and better off.

There is no definitive answer and if you think about it too much you'll fall down a rabbit hole like so many posters on this board already have.

[–] astha10024 8 years ago

We don't know much about E2 and S2. But what I have been able to gather from the scenes we were shown in the movie is -

1. They weren't idealised versions of S1 and E1, rather they were their own people who knew about the secret to escape from that place. They had to make the original couple fall out of love with each other so that they will be trapped over there and the duplicates can escape. All that they did earlier was in accordance to that.

2. E2 fell for S1. But it seems, he was a couple with S2 earlier and had plans to leave the place with her.

3. E2 made a painting of Sophie. S1 thought it was her but more severe. I think it was S2. Because S2 was the meaner among the two Sophies as clear in the kitchen scene.

Based on these points, I would like to say that it wasn't about turning the original couple into better versions of them at all. E1 says this in his speech that there are flaws in everyone and he doesn't want the perfect version of Sophie but S1 with her flaws and all. So, they didn't need to change at all. That was the fun of it, E1 said.

So, I don't buy the 'changed' theory. I don't think E1 was rude to begin with. And if someone showed their true colors, it would be S1 who fell for and cheated her husband with that other guy. She kept telling herself it wasn't cheating because he looked like her husband, but actually that's only an excuse. He wasn't like her husband at all. He was someone else and she fell for him and cheated Ethan. I don't think she grew as a person at all.

By the way, E1 might have apologised at the end but he didn't become outgoing or anything else that E2 was. S1, on the other hand, had to only start liking bacon to change? Or start smiling? She smiled a lot when she was with E2. So, this theory doesn't have much ground. E1 even had his glasses on in the end.

[–] gregcodori 8 years ago

And that is the beauty of this movie. You take from it as much as you want.

Did the duplicates only tell S1 and E1 what they wanted to hear in hopes to leave with one of them?

We're they the idealized versions? Something in between?

Are S2 and E2 real beings?

Did E1 and S1 even changes physically or did they just have a revelation? Did they also recognize that they would not leave if they didn't change?

There really isn't a right answer or wrong answer.

[–] jamasian_man 7 years ago

I'm leaning towards the fake Sophie ending, and not because I interpreted it that way when I watched it.

Fake Sophie doesn't know about the bacon thing. She does not know that Sophie1 doesn't like it when Ethan1 eats bacon. Ethan hasn't had bacon in a while, which is why he likes it so much when he eats it. Also, her not knowing that makes him suspicious and he finds out there are doppelgangers in the first place. This ruins the plan right off. Sophie1 gets an entire romantic evening with Ethan2, and she falls for him.

The originals cross paths and fight, and Ethan1 gets more weirded out than she does. When he confronts Sophie2, she doesn't understand and keep saying its fine, trying to blow it off.

So at the end, Sophie2 offers him breakfast. She doesn't know about the bacon thing. But he seemed to like bacon and eggs when she served it to him before, and he seems to react well just to thought of her making him breakfast again. Its definitely Sophie2 at the end.

Also the themes and tone of the movie would make it go for this kind of ending too. The whole theme of the movie is living with the faults of your real partner, and not going for an idealized fake version.

Ethan1 is willing to be with his original wife, and sees through the fake Sophie. He sees right through her with the bacon mistake, isn't seduced at all like Sophie1. Meanwhile Sophie is smitten immediately after 1 night, and if Sophie2 didn't interfere, then most likely Sophie1 and Ethan2 would have made a run for it and left instead of hiking.

So its the ultimate ironic ending if its Sophie2 at the end. Ethan was willing to make up with his wife, but he ends up with a fake version of her, and he couldn't even tell. (cyclical ending, she offers him bacon at the beginning and the end, but this time she is with him)

And Sophie1 got what she thought she wanted, she wanted a fake version of Ethan who acted 20% better than him. In the end she gets him, but after he ditches her and she finds out he's a dick. Now she's trapped with him until another couple comes along.

In the end both of them get screwed due to not being able to react at a pivotal moment. If the real Sophie had called Mark a *beep* or some sign of affection that they doppelgangers couldn't replicate, then he wouldn't have run off with the one who smiled at him! (most likely the wrong one)

[–] hal-9010 7 years ago

Well said.

The thing is that S1 was never actual falling for who E2 really was. She never met him until his final breakdown and who she met was kind of what she was running from in the first place. She was though falling for how she hoped and dreamed E1 could be. And in the end this is what she got.

...even when she succumbs hard to E2’s charm is when he tells her those longing words about how and why E1 was unfaithful back in the day. And S1 knew E2 was not E1 at this time and yet this is what really swept her feet... what finally won her was a story about and emotions connected entirely to E1. The one she loved was E1, always was.

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