The Only One (2006) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Lucien invents a fake girlfriend to gain independence from Gerda's household. He uses this claim as leverage to move back to his own house without appearing stubborn or ungrateful. The fabricated story gives him a socially acceptable reason to leave while maintaining his dignity, though his granddaughter Julie later learns the truth.

• lucien
• fake girlfriend
• gerda
• independence
• manipulation

Lucien and Mathilde had a long-standing affair while both were still married to other people. They promised each other eternal love but kept it hidden until their respective spouses died. This secret explains why Mathilde eventually comes to manage his housekeeping, their relationship predates the film's events and represents unfinished business from their past.

• lucien
• mathilde
• affair
• secret
• past relationship

Lucien chooses family duty over personal happiness because he recognizes that his relationship with Sylvia threatens the family's financial stability and peace. Gerda has specific plans for money that would be disrupted by Lucien's independent living arrangements. He prioritizes maintaining harmony and ensuring his daughter's plans remain intact, even sacrificing the renewed vitality Sylvia brought to his life.

Foreshadowing: Earlier warnings from Gerda and Mathilde about Sylvia's motives foreshadow Lucien's difficult choice.

• lucien
• sylvia
• family
• sacrifice
• choice
• duty

Gerda had saved money specifically to buy a luxury campervan for a trip to Spain. She fears that Lucien's sudden decision to move back to his own house, and bringing a girlfriend, will drain the family finances. This reveals her practical concerns hidden beneath the family tension, showing her priorities overlap with Lucien's independence struggle.

• gerda
• money
• campervan
• spain
• inheritance
• finances

Sylvia teaches Lucien practical household management skills and computer lessons, bringing modern relevance back into his life. These lessons represent more than just skills, they restore Lucien's sense of competence and independence. The computer lessons particularly symbolize his connection to the contemporary world and his ability to learn new things despite his age.

Foreshadowing: The computer lessons later highlight what Lucien gives up when he ends the relationship.

• sylvia
• lucien
• computer lessons
• housekeeping
• renewal

Living alone proves harder than Lucien expected because he loses the daily social contact and structure that Gerda's household provided. He feels Mathilde's absence acutely when she is not around, and the house becomes quiet and lonely. His granddaughter Julie's visits become his primary source of warmth, making her announcement that she will leave for France to study particularly painful.

• lucien
• living alone
• isolation
• julie
• france
• loneliness

Julie leaves for France to study, representing the next generation's departure from Lucien's life. Her departure deepens the loneliness in his household and underscores the theme of aging, watching younger family members pursue their own paths while Lucien remains. Julie had been one of the few bright spots in his difficult transition, making her absence particularly meaningful.

• julie
• france
• study
• departure
• lucien
• family

Gerda considers a rest home after repeated clashes with her father, who refuses to adapt to household rules or cede any control over his own life. The cumulative tension from his stubborn behavior and resistance to her authority pushes her to this breaking point. The option represents her struggle between filial duty and practical caregiving limits.

• gerda
• lucien
• rest home
• tension
• caregiving

Mathilde, the wife of Lucien's best friend Felix, takes on the housekeeping role because of their secret past relationship. Their long-standing affair gives her a unique position in Lucien's life and explains why she is the one who enters his household after his wife's death. This arrangement fulfills both practical needs and their unresolved romantic history.

• mathilde
• housekeeping
• felix
• lucien
• relationship

Sylvia, a woman in her mid-forties who moves in next door, differs from other characters because she brings renewed vitality and youth to Lucien's world. Unlike his family relationships dominated by duty and obligation, her connection offers genuine companionship and growth. She challenges his routines while respecting his independence, creating a dynamic that feels like a new chapter rather than an obligation.

Foreshadowing: Sylvia's arrival directly leads to Lucien's period of renewal before his final choice.

• sylvia
• neighbor
• lucien
• companionship
• renewal