Year One (2024)

-Written by John Cajio.

Finding one’s place in life is a challenging experience for a lot of people. It’s a journey fraught with as much peril and disaster as it is filled with joy and celebration. At this stage in my life, I can say two things with some measure of confidence: (1) I took about the worst route possible to get to where I am today, some of which I had no control over, and (2) the journey is nowhere near complete. Year One by Writer-Director Lauren Loesberg provides us with a microcosm of that journey by inviting us to peer into the life of Ruby (Elizabeth Yu) as she negotiates her freshman year of college.

Ruby struggles to fit in. As a creative writing major, she gets crushed early on when she gets rejected by the school paper. Her roommate, Selene (Emma Raimi) seems friendly enough and pushes Ruby to party, rush sororities, and generally be social. But then relationships begin to deteriorate, sides are drawn, and Ruby is the one left out in the cold as her aspiring professional dreams simultaneously continue to fail to materialize in devastating fashion. Eventually, as her mental health deteriorates, she sees a glamorous alter ego version of herself almost everywhere she goes. 

I found the film uncomfortable at times due to how much it reminded me of some of my own experiences navigating the early days of college when I (and many of my peers) lacked both the foresight and the experience to handle difficult moments appropriately. Kudos to Loesberg for bringing back those memories so vividly. I was viscerally angry for Ruby at the number of times that others continued to blame her for things she really had nothing to do with, or that she actually handled as well and appropriately as she could, or when she was repeatedly told that she should have done more in situations that were clearly beyond saving for a multitude of reasons. 

The performances in Year One are as strong as they are weak. The core cast, including Yu, Raimi, and most of the rest of the young cast, give very strong performances. Yu is clearly a standout through and through. She is so central to the film that the film would have been an utter failure if she didn’t deliver the goods, which she does. She bears the lead role burden with grace. On the other hand, a lot of the older adult roles are outrightly terrible. The doctor and the English professor are especially cringeworthy standouts in this category. Fortunately, these terrible performances collectively occupy a handful of minutes worth of the film’s 93-minute runtime. 

The editing and cinematography are quite strong throughout the film. Editors Loesberg and Tricia Scully present a film with technical editing far exceeding a film of this size and scope. The creative editing lends itself to a well paced film, too. In terms of cinematography there are certain scenes that are just drop dead gorgeous. The patience and the timing required to capture those shots by Cinematographer Jana McClain is rewarded in spades by a visual feast for the eyes of the viewer. 

Year One is a drama powered by strong performances, excellent writing, and great cinematography and editing; it is worthy of the time it takes to see it. Year One does not suck. 

Written & Directed by Lauren Loesberg.

Starring Elizabeth Yu, Emma Raini, etc.

8/10 = WORTH RENTING OR  BUYING (IT DOES NOT SUCK)