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6.6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. One Precious Year remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like old-fashioned, slightly dusty dramas where people stand in drawing rooms and talk about their feelings without ever actually feeling anything too messy, you’ll dig this. It’s not for the modern crowd that needs a quick pace. If you hate movies where the ending is visible from the first ten minutes, skip it. You will probably be bored to tears by the lack of subtext.
There is something inherently stiff about this entire production. It feels like everyone was afraid to trip over the furniture. Evelyn Roberts tries to hold the weight of the film on her shoulders, and honestly? She does a decent job of looking tragic while holding a teacup.
The pacing is… well, it’s a choice. Sometimes a scene will linger on a doorway for so long I started checking if my internet connection had frozen. Other times, a character will drop a life-altering revelation and then immediately ask about the weather. It’s disorienting. It reminds me a bit of the disjointed energy in The Man from Home, where the tone shifts without asking for permission.
There’s a moment with a fireplace that goes on for an eternity. The camera just sits there. You can practically hear the director yelling at the actors to look more mournful. It’s not necessarily bad, just awkward. Like when you realize you’ve been staring at a stranger on the bus for too long.
I found myself thinking about Trent's Last Case while watching the supporting cast shuffle about. There’s a similar feeling of people trapped in a script that’s a bit too small for them. They have to do so much heavy lifting with their eyebrows.
Ultimately, it’s a relic. Is it profound? No. Does it feel like someone actually set up a camera and rolled film? Yes. Sometimes that’s enough. Just don't expect it to change your life or anything. It's just a movie, after all. 🎞️