A long-repressed violation of trust unravels a volatile relationship between two friends whose love has turned to cold.
NURI sits in an unlit room, hidden in shadow, as car lights and youthful shouts pierce through a static window. He waits for his friend to arrive so he may tell a story, without interruption, of an unrequited love - MILENA - who seems to have recently turned the corner. He needs to share. The various new romantic experiences paint a joyous picture, even revealing that he's going to visit Milena for his birthday in the near future. His tone suddenly turns sour, and his words evolve into a confession - one that he planned to give all along, hoping to alleviate his guilt. Nuri admits to sexually violating Milena years before, leaving nothing to the imagination.
Days later, Milena and Nuri discuss his arrival over a video chat. Despite Nuri's admission, the relationship between the two seems to be on fine footing, filled with idiosyncratic charms, but Milena senses that Nuri believes their recent romantic interactions are more concrete than they were a fleeting whim, setting an ominous stage for his arrival. Once together, Milena and Nuri's eccentric relationship is on full display, but so too is Nuri's realization that what was for a moment, was only a moment and their opposing desires have never been more discreetly exposed than they are now.
Via tableau-paced visuals, the film observes Nuri and Milena through quiet mundanity, hidden violations, and repressed resentments, all shelved between moments that showcase a bond so unique that neither are willing to give it up, regardless of Milena's unaddressed trauma. Ultimately, their time together dissolves into a defensive match of reverberating hurt that seemingly leaves little hope for a future, which is perhaps for the best. As is the case in much of Slow-Cinema, A Small House with One Bed does not evolve through a strongly plotted narrative and dogmatic dramatic beats. It exists as a menagerie, peering into an extended moment of time that undresses a poorly-analyzed dynamic of troubled friendships - not to be apologetic for unexcused behavior - but rather to examine if something so tarnished can still exist. The fruits of forgiveness rely as much upon the person being forgiven as it does the forgiver.
