This is a surreal mystery film. Ethan and Sophie are a young married couple
who are going through a crisis after Ethan's infidelity. They're visiting a
marriage counsellor who advises them to spend time at a remote cottage. It's
actually two houses facing one another, a main house and a smaller guest
cottage. So much room for one couple?
Ethan and Sophie sleep in the main house, but Sophie's curiosity leads her to
check out the guest cottage. While there she has sex with Ethan. She returns
to the main house and finds Ethan asleep. Did he use a short cut? She thanks
him for the time they spent together, but Ethan denies having had sex with
her. Sophie kicks him out, and he goes to sleep in the guest cottage. Sophie
joins him later and apologises for her behaviour. Ethan goes back to the main
house in the morning, and Sophie insists that she spent the night alone.
After a few more confusing experiences, Ethan and Sophie conclude that they
have doppelgangers in the guest cottage. Whenever one of them goes into the
cottage alone, he finds a copy of his partner, but when they go into it
together nobody else is there. The doppelgangers are ideal copies of
themselves, perfect and loving, so they decide to remain and take turns with
them.
The film is 10 years old, so I can allow myself a few spoilers. Ethan finds
evidence that other couples visited in recent years who also experienced
doppelgangers. The Sophie doppelganger confesses to the real Ethan that their
purpose is to make the couples fall out of love, so they'll remain in the
cottage while the two doppelgangers take their place in the outside world.
This is where the film's mystery began to fall apart. The director has left
things open so that the viewer can fill in the blanks, but I didn't like this.
I want to be told what's happening. Are the doppelgangers alien invaders?
Possibly. Is the marriage counsellor in on the conspiracy. Certainly. How are
the couples supposed to stay in the cottage? Are they murdered? Are
they whisked away to another world? There are so many possibilities. And if
it's really a story about alien invaders taking over our world, why go to so
much trouble? They could simply move into a town, go to church, make friends
and blend in.
I enjoyed the film when I was watching it, but it left a dissatisfying
aftertaste. I have no intention of watching it again, but I invite my
readers to watch it and make up their own minds. If you can watch it; it's no
longer available on disc or streaming. Maybe you can find it on Ebay.
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