Plus One (2008) User Reviews

Great mood -uplifter

[pmccolm · 8/10 · 16 December 2008]

Tom, a British Puppeteer, arrives in Moscow to conduct a workshop for local theater students. As a given to any foreigners in Russia, the school provides Tom a translator; Masha - generic, uptight Moscow inhabitant with a lack of sense of humor (as she admits herself throughout the film!). Plus Odin (Plus 1) takes the viewers on a complex journey of relationship between Tom and Masha, as they slowly drift from "strictly business" to a constantly warmer change. In the city where only a handful can speak Tom's native tongue, he is bound with Masha (perhaps by fate?). It is now Tom's duty to change Masha's attitude on life. But, alas, the movie is not just about Masha and Tom. The vast and organic cinematography reminds us that the main plot takes place in Moscow, gigantically massive mega-polis with many other stories of their own. Some of these stories accidentally (or maybe not?) collide with the main plot of this incredible motion picture. In fact, each shot in this film tells a story of it's own. Blue sky with a plane flying in the distance, a streetcar passing slowly on the late afternoon street; each of these shots represent a piece of a fractal that unanimously surround the characters of this city tale. For those who hope for any hidden political messages or such - entirely non political flick!

Highly recommend to watch!

learning smiling

[snusmumrrra · 8/10 · 16 November 2008]

I'm sorry that people from another countries hardly can see this movie. There are not so many good comedy romance movies these days. The plot can not explain the charm of the movie, magic of frames, light, music, words and glances. British puppeteer Tom came to Moscow to give master classes for Russian students and to teach them how to make fool and fun from everything. There he meets an interpreter Masha who never smiles and is very closed from outer-world, and he tries to "wake her up", show her that she can smile and have fun. Probably, he is not just teaching but also learning something from this relationships (but it is not so deeply developed in the movie as Mashas transformation). The movie is full of air, lights, sun, music, puppet and theater tricks, every frame can be a photo. Sorry for I'm not very good at writing in English.

a story of a rebound relationship

[am2268 · 7/10 · 10 January 2021]

A story of a rebound relationship that accurately captures the cultural differences between Russian and Western attitudes towards romantic encounters

not that great

[tykoo20 · 5/10 · 8 November 2008]

I don't know why this is considered a romantic comedy. this movie really wasn't really all that romantic and the comedy was at best a few laughs here and there. The only reason i liked the movie was that there isn't really a movie like it. I felt as if the movie didn't establish any real moments to make it feel like a romantic comedy. The ending didn't really help it out either. i was kinda confused throughout the whole story like i wanted more to happen to the characters throughout the film and nothing really did. the storyline in my opinion just didn't do it for me. I don't know i thought there was going to be more in the movie to make you care about it but i guess not. if you're going to watch this i recommend watching ONCE. which is kinda like this but way way better.

What's this film about?

[[e-mail] · 5/10 · 10 October 2008]

Here's just one of a number of films I've perused here on IMDb. Am I the only one that's doing the same thing wondering why these films have no descriptions whatsoever? So here we have a a Russian? film in Russian and English but no description other than it being a comedy romance... OK sounds good to me. Has anybody else heard anything about it? I'm sure our friends in the east have but i don't know if they come here so much. Is there a site for east-euro films? I'm American but i try to be expansive when it comes to film. Now that the Internet is a given, perhaps IMDb should make an effort to make the "I" more International?

Russian Film, but not a Rom-Com. More a social commentary.

[RunBHK · 18 August 2011]

I got asked to watch this film whilst working in the ex-USSR.

It's an interesting film to watch, partly for the social differences between Masha and Tom. The lesson from the film was that a lighter, western approach and ability to "play the fool" brought out an unhappy Masha from under her cloud. Although there is an element of romance between them, the focus seemed more on her character blossoming. The penultimate scene has the puppet asking her to ask "when is he coming back". This question is never asked, and the final scene shows her happily prancing down the street, seeing a jet flying overhead to symbolise his leaving and her still happy. She is not heartbroken, which is why this isn't a romance. It is about learning and her developing as a person.

Watch this film with an open mind, and enjoy it for the lesson it gives.