By George & Josh Bate
© Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. Credit: Nicole Rivelli / Universal Pictures
The Purge posited a world in which, for a single night per year, all crime was made legal. One Night Only posits a world in which, for a single night per year, premarital sex is legal. It’s a clever high concept, one that sets the stage for an inventive, fun, strange, and often unintentionally funny rom-com that will remind audiences why date movies deserve to be seen on the big screen.
One Night Only takes place in a fictionalized society in which sex is outlawed for single people 364 days a year. For a strict 12-hour window on a single day of the year, unmarried folks are legally allowed to have sex, creating a massive sense of urgency and mad scramble to find a mate. On this fateful night of the year, recently dumped Owen (Callum Turner) and hopeful romantic Allie (Monica Barbaro) repeatedly cross paths and are simultaneously drawn to and put off by one another.
The unique premise of One Night Only is far more than just a jumping off point for yet another rom-com. Director Will Gluck and screenwriter Travis Braun integrates the concept of “The Mandate,” the law in place that bans premarital sex for all but 12 hours out of the year, into virtually every scene and every moment of their briskly paced, ever-moving film. And, over the course of the story, all the rules and stipulations and context of “The Mandate” are revealed.
Keep reading for a full breakdown of the rules of The Sex Purge in One Night Only…
Sex is Illegal For Every Day of the Year, Except for 12 Hours From 6pm-6am On One Specific Day
This first rule is pretty straightforward, but it lays the groundwork for all the rules that follow. For 364.5 days per year, premarital sex in the United States is illegal. This law, termed ‘The Mandate’ throughout the film, is described as an “ideological grenade by old men” in Congress at one point and, at another point, termed fascistic by a character. These same old men politicians in Congress claim that ‘The Mandate’ has reduced teen pregnancies and STIs.
The government wanted to ban premarital sex for the totality of each year, but politicians were willing to “compromise” by granting the public 12 hours on a single day per year during which they are able to fornicate.
Biochips Enforce The Mandate
To enforce ‘The Mandate,’ everyone has a biochip on their wrists that appears as either a red or a green tattoo on their inner wrist. The biochip remains green all the time for people who are married and for everyone during the 12 hour free period each year.
Otherwise, the biochip remains red for all those who are not married, except for the 12 hour period once per year.
Protection is Mandatory On the One Night
Even though singles are allowed to have sex during the 12 hour free period once per year, those who engage in sexual activity are required to wear a condom.
The mandate to wear a condom places a massive surge in pricing for condoms around the time of the 12 hour free period, so much so that stores all around New York City are sold out. Eventually, Callum Turner’s Owen manages to find a single condom selling at a store for over $200.
Masturbation is Legal
Although sex with another person is illegal and punishable by law, masturbation is permitted.
Kissing is Legal
Kissing is also permitted under ‘The Mandate.’
It appears that anything involving genital contact of any contact between two or more individuals is what is banned.
Police Will Arrest You For Having Sex
‘The Mandate’ is strictly enforced by the police, who are notified when hormone levels among those with a red biochip rise above a certain level, indicating that people are having illegal sex.
Police officers in the film appear reluctant to enforce the law but does so nonetheless.
The Public is Encouraged to Call a Hotline to Report Illegal Sex
Signs around the city indicate that there is a hotline number for members of the public to report illegal sex.
The Mandate Applies to the LGBTQIA+ Community
Although the film overwhelmingly depicts heteronormative sexual relations, ‘The Mandate’ also applies to LGBTQIA+ folks.
However, an off-handed comment in the film suggests that members of the LGBTQIA+ community find ways around ‘The Mandate.’
Group Sex is Legal
During the 12 hour free period, people are permitted to have sex with many (or as few) partners as they wish.
That means having sex with multiple people at the same time is allowed.
Hormone-Altering Drugs Potentially Get Around the Biochips
Succession star Nicholas Braun makes a cameo in the film as a businessman, who is investing in drugs that alter hormone levels, in particular dopamine, to such an extent that they conceal that a person is having sex.
Upon learning of this drug, Monica Barbaro’s character Allie questions whether such a substance could be used to cure Parkinson’s Disease, which involves abnormal levels of dopamine. Braun’s character scoffs at this notion, stating there is no money in that kind of drug.