David Farnor | On 12, Jul 2019

Director: Harry Wootlliff
Cast: Josh O’Connor, Laia Costa
Certificate: 15

Between God’s Own Country and Victoria, Josh O’Connor and Laia Costa have proven themselves two of the most exciting, engaging young actors of modern cinema. Bringing them together, then, is something of a masterstroke, as they play young hopeful Jake with not-as-young-as-she-claims-to-be Elena.

The pair cross paths on New Year’s Eve in Glasgow, and their paths don’t uncross for months, whisking them off into a rapidly developing relationship. But things aren’t simple for the duo, as they find themselves entering serious territory with consequences for decades into the future. On a plot level, the speed at which their romance moves from sex to thinking about starting a family doesn’t always convince, but O’Connor and Costa are electric, and their performances (both together and individually) are honest enough to sell the emotional journey they undergo individually.

At the helm, Harry Wootlliff, directs her lead couple with a beautiful eye and earnest intensity, with the use of music heightening the compelling intimacy of their exchanges. An additional few scenes for our lead couple to discuss their changing situation independently of each other would help the story make its bold jump from subject to another, but Only You deserves credit for having the courage to make that leap in the first place.

 

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