One in a Thousand

One in a Thousand is definitely an overall good film. But it is also one that personally failed to grab my whole attention. It’s got an unobtrusive, documentary-style of film-making which I get but isn’t my first choice. Plus, it’s maybe a bit too long.

One in a Thousand takes place in a run down block of estates in Argentina referred to by characters as the hood. The film follows a few queer friends who live there. Their unofficial leader is Iris. Iris is a self-described “angel” who doesn’t drink, smoke or have sex. By contrast, her best friend Dario is gay and sexually active. Iris herself gets a chance at gay romance when she meets Renata, a young, open lesbian. However, rumors of Renata’s past throw a wrench into their budding relationship. Iris hears that Renata used to work as a sex worker to pay for drugs and that she has HIV. This causes Iris to be tentative with Renata though her interest in Renata is too strong to write her off entirely.

Like I mentioned, One in a Thousand’s visual style is an unobtrusive almost documentary feeling vibe. There’s minimal artistic flourishes or standout moments of staging and cinematography. This may be a plus or minus for viewers and indeed has positive and negatives within the film. It absolutely does promote a sense of realism. It helps its characters feel like real people and the community they inhabit feel real. On the other hand, some of the angles are intentionally static and not great. The camera placement is such that you may only see half a character’s face in frame or they may be obstructed by a wall.

What is wonderful about One in a Thousand is its sense of beauty in its bleak, rundown locations. As much as we see a world and hear a world rife with poverty and violence, it is also a home to these characters. This is where Iris, Dario and their friends have romances, friendships and people who love them. Surprisingly, it seems to be a safe space for them. Openly gay Dario talks frankly about sex with friends and even his mother. There are also characters who go against gender norms who again ,feel completely comfortable doing so in this location. The hood feels like a home and somewhere inexplicably safe for these young, queer youth. The film finds beauty in its low income location rather than tragedy.

The film deals with sexual protection and infection pretty heavily and I’m not sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, it’s nice that these young people are having discussions about safe sex. On the other hand, they talk about it more than actually engage in safe sex. I also don’t think it does much for the stigma of having an STI. It’s never really portrayed as an issue how Iris and her friends discuss Renata’s HIV status. When Iris learns that Renata doesn’t have HIV, she feels bad about the rumour and her treatment of Renata. But this feels very dependent on her learning that Renata doesn’t have HIV. There’s never a discussion about how maybe it was bad to shun someone and gossip about their potential status as HIV positive.

The thing that takes One in a Thousand from a positive review down to mixed is that it’s perhaps too long. I can’t actually think of any scenes I think they should cut as they all work on their own and play into the film’s overall themes. However, during my viewing, I checked multiple times to see how much time was left. That suggests maybe I wasn’t fully engaged in the narrative. Still, the film is beautifully yet realistically shot and has characters that feel like real people. There’s a definite artistry and a lot of success found in the imperfect and perhaps too long One in a Thousand.

Overall rating: 5.9/10

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