Only You

Stars: Laia Costa, Josh O'Connor, Lisa McGrillis, Peter Wight, Stuart Martin

Director: Harry Wootliff

Here's two hours of my life I'll never get back and this interminable film's to blame. Jobless Englishman Jake (O'Connor - Lawrence from TV's The Durrells) and Spanish Elena (Costa - one of the best things in the erratic Life Itself) - meet cute in a Glasgow taxi; he takes her home and, after a few preliminaries, they're having sex in her apartment.

In hardly more time, Jake has moved in and the couple build up a relationship together. He's 26, she's 35 and lies about her age - but soon comes clean and he's not bothered.

Things are fine for some months until the subject of a baby comes up, and the rest of the film concerns itself with the couple's unsuccessful efforts to have one. They even try IVF, but her eggs are 'too low'. Despite their obvious affection for one another, things gradually deteriorate, with Elena in particular in deep despond.

Ultimately, there's a foul-mouthed screaming match and it's all over. But of course it isn't and, God help us, neither is the film.

Still, many critics seem to have liked this, and, admittedly, performances, hers especially, are far better than the director's script.

David Quinlan

UK 2018. UK Distributor: Curzon Artificial Eye. Colour (unspecified).
118 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 2, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 3.

Review date: 09 Jul 2019