Sarah moves to LA to start a new life and pursue her dreams. After staying in a crummy hotel, she finally finds what might be her dream apartment. At first it seems like the perfect place to live, clean, great location, friendly neighbors, but Sarah soon learns that nothing is quite as it seems.

Making his feature film debut, writer and director David Marmor brings to life what might be my actual worst nightmare with 1BR. From the very first scene, Marmor establishes a feeling of unease as the camera tracks along, showing an apartment courtyard filled with friendly, waving neighbors. Anyone who has ever lived in a city apartment knows that neighbors are never this friendly and rarely even make eye contact, especially knowing this film takes place in LA. When Sarah first tours the apartment, the open house has dozens of other hopefuls vying for the apartment, so when she is the chosen one, she is elated. That joy isn’t long lived as she is kept awake night after night by loud noises in the walls and has increasingly strange encounters with her neighbors. Then the true motives of the neighbors are revealed. Sarah is forced to decide if she wants to become part of this community, allowing every moment of her life to be monitored and controlled, or find a way to escape.

The idea of 1BR works very well for me, primarily because I would rather eat glass than interact with my neighbors. It’s interesting because it points out how segregated we have all become and how there is no true sense of community these days, at least not in the city. Yet it also shows how cult-like communities can be when left to their own devices. The film ends up being very suspenseful and manages to keep the audience guessing as to what will happen next. Again, this worked for my because it played to my own person anxieties, but it might not be for everyone. The tension is banking on viewers being more antisocial, so individuals who are more social creatures might not find it quite as suspenseful. Without giving too much away, 1BR also does one thing common in horror films that always comes across as a somewhat cheap attempt and shock. As soon as we see Sarah in her hotel room, we know one minor plot point will inevitably happen and it is something I wish horror films would steer away from.

This film has a surprisingly large cast. Each actor is great in their respective roles, but three of them truly stand out. Nicole Brydon Bloom (The Affair, Law & Order: SVU) takes on the leading role of Sarah. This is Bloom’s first starring role in a feature film and she definitely delivers. Sarah is a very kind, vulnerable person, but Bloom also makes it clear to the audience that she has an inner strength and conviction because of her past. Taylor Nichols (Jurassic Park III, The Boiler Room) plays the apartment manager, Jerry. Jerry has all the attributes we have come to expect of a cult leader-type character. Nichols makes Jerry charming, even-tempered, and authoritative. He speaks in a soothing voice and he is able to get people to do his bidding. Then there is Giles Matthey (Jobs, True Blood) as Sarah’s neighbor, Brian. Matthey stands out in this role because at first, Brian seems like the sweet, cute guy in the building. Once the truth of what the community is comes to light, Matthey does a sort of Jekyll and Hyde personality transformation and is quite disturbing.

Visually, 1BR is highly successful at creating tension with space and creating minor details for the audience to notice. Even before we learn the sinister truth of the apartment building, the unease of the place is quickly established. The building almost becomes a character itself as we learn its secrets. It also takes on a claustrophobic quality, especially when in the courtyard at the center of the building, surrounded by the eyes of other tenets and no clear means of escape. There are also tons of little details within the apartment itself, as well as on the other residents, that elude to the truth of what’s happening.

1BR is the embodiment of my worst nightmare: being forced to be part of a community with my neighbors. In an increasingly anti-social world, this is likely a cause of anxiety for many. Marmor exacerbates this feeling with his film, while also pointing out how we have become far too separated from those around us in a selfish world. It likely will not strike the same chord with all viewers, but it still creates a suspenseful, unsettling story with strong performances. There is definitely a moral to this story, but whether it’s to be more or less involved with your community will likely vary quite a bit from person to person.

OVERALL RATING: 7/10