1BR

1BR is a 2019 American horror film written and directed by David Marmor, in his directorial debut.[1] The title is an abbreviation of "one bedroom", commonly seen in real estate listings. The film premiered at Fantasia International Film Festival in July 2019, and was released in the United States in 2020.

1BR
Official promotional poster
Directed byDavid Marmor
Produced by
  • Alok Mishra
  • Sam Sandweiss
  • Shane Vorster
  • Allard Cantor
  • Jarrod Murray
  • Nic Izzi
  • Peter Phok
Written byDavid Marmor
Starring
Music byRonen Landa
CinematographyDavid Bolen
Edited by
  • Rich Fox
  • David Marmor
  • Anna Rottke
Production
company
Malevolent Films
Distributed byDark Sky Films
Release date
  • July 19, 2019 (2019-07-19) (FanTasia)
  • April 24, 2020 (2020-04-24) (United States)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

An aspiring costume designer moves into a one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles, unaware that the complex is owned by a cult who use torture to force new residents to join their community.[2]

Cast
  • Nicole Brydon Bloom as Sarah, a young woman just moved to Los Angeles. She is shy and rarely stands up for herself. Sarah takes a job at an office while waiting to get into a design program.
  • Giles Matthey as Brian, Sarah's next door neighbor at the apartment complex, and Jerry's right-hand man. He served in Iraq before coming to LA.
  • Taylor Nichols as Jerry, the manager of the apartments and the overseer of Sarah's branch of the Community
  • Alan Blumenfeld as Sarah's estranged father, who cheated on his wife (Sarah's mother) while she was ill. Sarah moves away and becomes financially independent because of him.
  • Naomi Grossman as Janice, a member of the apartment Community
  • Celeste Sully as Lisa, Sarah's friend and colleague from work. Unlike Sarah she is assertive and self-assured. Her mantra is "it's my fucking life." She lands the same apartment after Sarah is accepted into the Community.
  • Susan Davis as Miss Stanhope, the oldest tenant of the Community, she quickly befriends Sarah. Miss Stanhope suffers from heart problems and is cared for by the Community residents. During Sarah's torture sessions she is brought in to break her.
  • Clayton Hoff as Lester, an antisocial disfigured tenant who recently lost his wife to cancer. He later becomes Sarah's arranged husband.
  • Earnestine Phillips as Esther, an accomplished doctor who handles all medical procedures within the apartments.
  • Curtis Webster as Charles D. Ellerby, the founder of the apartment complexes in LA and author of "The Power of Community." His teachings use various forms of torture to encourage conformity and unity.

Production

During the early stages of production, the film's offices were victim of the Skirball Fire in 2017, and were forced to use producer Alok Mishra's home in the San Fernando Valley as the base of operations during filming. The outside exteriors of the apartments were used on-location in Los Angeles, with the indoor scenes being shot on a soundstage.[3]

Release

The film premiered at Fantasia International Film Festival on July 18, 2019.[1] The film had a limited theatrical and VOD release on April 24, 2020, before beginning to stream on Netflix on August 28.[4][5]

Over its first week of release on Netflix the film was among the top 10 most-streamed items, reaching as high as fifth on the site.[6][7]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 86% based on 72 reviews, with an average rating of 6.60/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "1BR's occasionally ordinary storytelling is more than outweighed by tight direction, interesting ideas, and an effective blend of horror and thoughtful drama."[8] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on eight critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[9]

John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Taken on its own terms, it's a solid if hardly revolutionary thriller that bodes well for the filmmaker's future in genre films."[1]

References
  1. John DeFore (July 19, 2019). "'1BR': Film Review - Fantasia 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  2. Stefansky, Emma. "You'll Want to Move Out of the Horror-Thriller '1BR' on Netflix". Thrillist. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  3. Noor Malhotra (August 27, 2020). "Where Was 1BR Filmed?". The Cinemaholic. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  4. Phillips, Hedy (August 29, 2020). "1BR, the New Horror Movie Trending on Netflix, Is an Apartment Dweller's Nightmare". POPSUGAR Entertainment. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  5. "Apartment chiller "1BR" moves onto a release date; trailer and poster". RueMorgue. March 17, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  6. "1BR (2020) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  7. Brueggemann, Tom (August 31, 2020). "'Bill & Ted Face the Music' Tops Multiple VOD Charts as Chadwick Boseman Films Soar". IndieWire. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  8. "1BR (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  9. "1BR Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
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