While the rom-com has had a well-deserved revival, the romantic drama is a sub-genre that has always been a mainstay of cinema. While films like ‘A Star Is Born’ defiantly aren't light-hearted, romantic dramas are often just Nicholas Sparks rip-offs; films that purely exist to get the audience to cry without leaving any kind of real impact. 'Only You' elevates the genre, and its emotions are never cheap.
After meeting by going for the same taxi, Elena (Lala Costa, ‘Life Itself’, ‘Victoria’) and Jake (Josh O’Connor, ‘God’s Own Country’, ‘Cinderella’) end up sharing a ride which leads a very romantic relationship. As their love grows, they want to start a family and, in this process, they are tested as a couple.
'ONLY YOU' TRAILER
Both the leads are fantastic here; Costa and O’Connor are so believable as this couple. With a lot of movies where a couple falls in love almost instantly, the couple's spark is lost - but wow, these two have so much chemistry, it's infectious. The film's focus is on the struggle of pregnancy, how some aren’t as lucky as others and have to go through some tough medical procedures to even get close to getting pregnant. A lot of women don’t talk about how painful those nine months can be - they're expected to be grateful and feel blessed. ‘Only You’ lets Elena express her emotions and her pain, and that tests her relationship with Jake because of how hard it is for her to get pregnant. I feel this movie will stir a lot of emotions for a huge demographic of people.
‘Only You’ is a very emotional tale about a topic that isn’t talked about a lot on film, aided by great performances with fantastic chemistry.
For myself personally, I wasn’t fully captivated until the film really got into the pregnancy storyline. While the leads are cute and have great chemistry, it wasn’t hitting home, and felt a little simple. While the film continues with a basic structur,e it's really Costa and O’Connor’s acting abilities that take you on a very emotional rollercoaster. With different leads, this easily could have been an extremely boring sit, especially with the two-hour run time. Luckily you really are on this journey with this couple.
‘Only You’ is a very emotional tale about a topic that isn’t talked about a lot on film, aided by great performances with fantastic chemistry.