'There's no "I" in Threesome' shows how things can get complicated

A relationship between two people is difficult in its own right. But throw a third into the mix? That's just good footage, right?

That's the premise of There's No "I" in Threesome, which premieres Feb. 11 on HBO Max.

The documentary — which also is premiering at the Sundance Film Festival — is the brainchild of director Jan Oliver Lucks, who also happens to be at the center of said threesome. Ollie and Zoe are engaged and also in an open relationship. Which means they're not necessarily exclusive to each other. And as the trailer shows, it looks like they're not exclusive to each other all over the place.

"The idea is to highlight an alternative to monogamy," Ollie says. "That you can have your cake, and eat it, too. That's how it started, anyway."

Ollie ends up with a fiancee and with a girlfriend. And as you no doubt could have guessed by now, things get complicated.

The doc undoubtedly will have a bit of the sexual side of things, but it's almost certainly more about the toll it takes on the people involved.

“This is a uniquely intimate exploration of a relationship in the modern age, as revelatory as it is unexpected," Jennifer O’Connell, Executive Vice President, Non-Fiction and Live-Action Family Programming, HBO Max, said in a press release. "This will definitely create dialogue and conversation about the expectations between couples and if monogamy is truly for everyone."

HBO Max is available on every major streaming service in the United States, including on Roku as well as on Amazon Fire TV. It's also available on Android TV and Google TV, Apple TV, on various smart TVs, and on the web. HBO Max costs $14.99 a month — same as the legacy HBO service it all but replaces.

Phil Nickinson

Phil spent his 20s in the newsroom of the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, his 30s on the road for AndroidCentral.com and Mobile Nations and is the Dad part of Modern Dad.