1BR

David Marmor’s debut feature, 1BR, finds a deeply unsettling twist in a familiar story. The film follows Sarah (Nicole Brydon Bloom), a recent Los Angeles transplant who finds a seemingly perfect spot at the Asilo Del Mar Apartments. The complex houses a variety of young and old residents who appear to genuinely care for one another, and they quickly embrace Sarah with similarly open arms. Everything seems too good to be true because it is, but that realization comes too late to do Sarah any good.

I hope you’re not reading this to learn any further plot points, because I’m not here to offer them. 1BR is a film best experienced by viewers who know as little as possible about the mystery of the Asilo Del Mar Apartments. Suffice it to say that Sarah soon discovers she didn’t choose the apartment as much as the apartment chose her, and breaking the lease is not an option. Alone in a city a thousand miles from home, the only path forward is one of pain, mystery, and self-realization.

Filling out the world of 1BR with fully-realized performances is a murderer’s row of talented character actors. Taylor Nichols, perhaps best known for his turn in Jurassic Park III, is equal parts gentle and assertive as the apartment complex manager. His second in command, Jerry, is a good-looking guy brought to life by Giles Matthey (Ford v Ferrari) in a slick manner that’s likely to make your skin crawl. 

Then there’s Susan Davis, a career actor working steadily since the late 1950s, whose performance is perhaps the second most important behind Brydon’s turn as the lead. Her work as Mrs. Standhope, the community’s oldest resident and former silver screen star, is what pulls Sarah into the story. Her kindness, coupled with an incredible ability to make you want the best for her, keeps Sarah and the audience questioning the motivations of the neighborhood until well into the film’s second act.

Marmor, who wrote, directed, edited, and handled VFX for the film, grounds 1BR in the universal desire to belong. Sarah, like many, is running from something she’s not emotionally equipped to process, and her inability or unwillingness to work on herself ultimately makes her weak. As she works through the problems she’s confronted with, she often find the biggest obstacle to be herself. She’s smart and strong, but not always aware of those facts, and the beauty in Brydon’s performance is that she manages to convey both the internal and external conflicts her character faces in separate yet equal ways. 

In a time when everyone is stuck in their house, 1BR reminds us things could still be worse. We’re choosing to stay inside. Not everyone is that lucky.

Grade: B-plus. Not rated. Now available to rent via Amazon Video, Google Play, iTunes, and Vudu

(Photo: Dark Sky Films)