1BR

1BR is a 2019 American horror thriller film written and directed by David Marmor, in his directorial debut. 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. The film follows the story of Sarah, an aspiring costume designer who 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.
Plot
After recently moving to Los Angeles to seek independence, as well as enroll in a fashion and costume design course, Sarah goes apartment hunting and successfully manages to get a spot for a one-bedroom apartment in a seemingly friendly neighborhood complex which houses 30 or so residents. Sarah bonds with some of the residents, most notably Jerry, the manager; Brian, her neighbor; and Edie, an elderly lady. Sarah develops sleep deprivation and lethargy after moving into her new apartment due to loud noises that she always hears at night. Because of her lack of sleep, she forgets to hand in her portfolio to her enrollment course. She confides in her co-worker and friend Lisa, who comforts her. During a barbeque party, Lester a resident recommends the book The Power of Community by Charles D. Ellerby to Sarah, which she politely declines.
One night, while unable to sleep, Sarah is attacked and drugged unconscious by Brian and some other residents. When Sarah awakens, she is in a sealed room and Jerry and Brian walk in and reveal to her that the apartment complex is house to a cult and all the residents in the apartment complex are part of the cult and that she has been chosen to become their new member. The cult was started 30 years earlier by a man named Charles D. Ellerby and he has written a book titled The Power of Community, which includes four key principles that the cult members live by. Jerry and Brian have cut off all her contact from the outside world and ensured that no one will try to find her now that she is in the cult's captivity.
Sarah unwillingly undergoes a torturous initiation process that every resident before her also had to endure. Once it is over, she is given a copy of The Power of Community and she is told to read and study the book. Sarah is also given a few other tasks to perform in order to contribute to the cult, such as marrying Lester, carrying out surveillance of the members via CCTV footage, and cooking for the children. Initially resistant to the cult, Sarah is slowly brainwashed into accepting and joining it as they promise her a sense of belonging and purpose. Eventually, Sarah is branded with the cult's logo after taking a lie detector test that shows she has truly become sincere about wanting to be in the cult.
Some time later, the cult reopens its doors to find a new member under a guise of an open house seeking a new resident. Sarah discovers that her friend and for co-worker Lisa has come to the open house. She is shocked when she learns that Jerry has chosen Lisa as the next member and she warns Jerry that the strong-minded Lisa will be hard to convert. During Lisa's forced initiation process, Sarah reveals herself to Lisa and tells her that joining the cult will change her life for the better. Lisa, however, manages to get Sarah back to her senses and Sarah realizes she has to escape the cult. They attempt an escape together, but Lisa is shot dead by Jerry in the process.
Sarah manages to take away Jerry's gun from him and she proceeds to kill Jerry and Brian who try to stop her from escaping. Sarah escapes the apartment complex and runs happily into the streets thinking she is free. However, once outside, she realizes that all the houses on the surrounding property belong to CDE residences (abbrevation of Charles D. Ellerby, the founding father of the cult) and the logo for CDE residences is the same as that for the cult. An alarm goes of for all the buildings and she realizes that she is going to be hunted down by numerous cult members. Sarah runs down the line of buildings, determined to escape.
Cast
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.
Release
The film premiered at Fantasia International Film Festival on July 18, 2019. The film had a limited theatrical release and VOD release on April 24, 2020, before beginning to stream on Netflix on August 28.
Over its first week of release on Netflix, the film was among the top five most-streamed films, reaching number one in the film section of the site.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critics consensus reads, "1BRs occasionally ordinary storytelling is more than outweighed by tight direction, interesting ideas, and an effective blend of horror and thoughtful drama." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100 based on 8 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
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."
References
External links
2019 films
2019 directorial debut films
2019 horror thriller films
2019 independent films
2010s American films
2010s English-language films
American horror thriller films
American independent films
Films about cults
Films set in apartment buildings
Films set in Los Angeles
Films shot in Los Angeles