The trailer for the upcoming film One Night Only initially appears to be a charming romantic comedy. It features a handsome, sensitive man (Callum Turner) relentlessly flirting with a quirky woman in a striking dress (Monica Barbaro). They bump into each other, exchange playful nudges, and roll their eyes in a classic meet-cute. A YouTube comment with over 3,000 likes declares, 'Romantic comedies are back.'
A Confusing Premise
However, hidden within this adorable trailer is a premise that may be the most perplexing in recent memory. As Turner's character walks forlornly through New York City, his voiceover reveals: 'Finding love is hard enough. Try doing it on the one night of the year single people are legally allowed to have sex.' The trailer then quickly moves on to more meet-cutes and lingering glances, leaving viewers stunned by the implication.
This, apparently, is the film's central concept: two attractive individuals meet by chance, get separated, and must race across the city to find each other before sunrise so they can engage in government-sanctioned sexual intercourse. It raises far more questions than it answers.
Is This The Purge for Sex?
One might wonder if One Night Only is essentially The Purge, but with the terror of violence replaced by an increased risk of contracting chlamydia. More importantly, if single people can only have sex with impunity one night a year, how is this governed? The trailer suggests that everyone simply eyes someone and then engages in public intercourse, whether in a restaurant or on the street like 'a pair of horny rats.' Why don't people go home? Does Sex Night coincide with a citywide taxi strike?
Enforcement and Consequences
How is this law enforced? Is there a government department dedicated to determining precisely when someone ceases to be single? Is it marriage? A declaration of love? If sex itself is considered an act of union, then any moment of penetration could suspend singledom, rendering the law meaningless. What about unexpected pregnancies? A sequel set nine months later could feature people mournfully staring at newborns, weighed down by regret. Will the film address this?
Possible Metaphors
Clearly, this premise must be a metaphor for something. It could be a satire on the US right's crackdown on reproductive rights, a timely statement about the post-Roe world. Alternatively, it might allegorize the Covid-19 pandemic, where people suppressed primal urges for an extended period and then eagerly reunited. Or it could represent capitalism, ChatGPT, or the climate crisis. Or perhaps it's simply the fantasy of a screenwriter wishing people were more inclined to have sex with them.
The Purgiverse of Movies
If One Night Only succeeds, it may spark a wave of 'The Purge, but X' movies: one night a year for surgery, haircuts, or eating spaghetti with bare hands. If sex is fair game, the silliness knows no bounds. One Night Only is set for release in Australian cinemas on 6 August, US cinemas on 7 August, and UK cinemas on 28 August.
