Welcome to part 2 of Dan's romantic film night. This one is a little lighter, though I'm massively biased because it really hits close to home.
Asa Butterfield plays Stillman, a guy who has just been dumped and uses this heartbreak as motivation to finish his project of building a time machine. Using this, he decides not to stop Hitler but instead to look back at his broken relationship and fix the moments that went wrong so that his relationship with Debbie (Sophie Turner) never ends.
I'd highly recommend this, particularly to anyone that struggles with relationship anxiety, low self-worth, jealousy or is prone to overthinking. It really is film that says "hey, if you could go back and fix all the things that you think are wrong with you, you might not like the results".
If I go any further I'll ruin it, so it's spoiler time.
7/10, points deducted for the ending feeling a bit wobbly.
TIME TRAVEL SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU GET SPOILT AND WANT TO SEE IT WITHOUT BEING SPOILED YOU'LL NEED A TIME MACHINE AFTER READING THIS!
Man, this was an emotional watch for me. I am so prone to sitting there and wondering "what the heck is wrong with me? What could I do differently to be a better me?" I totally got Stillman, I totally totally felt his pain. The storytelling is so subtle too. The fact he revisits the time on the rooftop where he could use his "nerdy" abilities to alleviate her phobia of being trapped. It just tells us so much. It was the one time he felt enough for her, he felt competent, he felt in control, he felt like she was impressed by him, he felt loved.
And then to contrast that you get the scene where he fixes how he reacted to them all not liking the film he showed them. He just couldn't take the humiliation, lashed out, over and over until his time travelling buddy gave him the solution. Handling it with grace and humour, not taking it all so personal. It clearly stems from low self-worth, and it's so hard to watch.
Then we move on to the scene that quite frankly got me. The fire party. Stillman feels clearly like an outcast, watching Debbie with these "free-spirited", more in shape men the first time round led to an argument because Stillman's jealousy and insecurity got the better of him. But that's not what got my feelings going, it was the second time round. Watching him try to be something he's not, masking the pain as she dances (and totally ridiculously) takes her top off between two guys, acting like this crazy free spirit who tops it off by saying to Debbie "you know what I say you just gotta go with the flow", and Debbie looks at him and asks "do you say that?". Geez. That's tough.
And what jealous, insecure people want to do is control everything. Not always out of a malicious place, but out of fear. Fear that if their partner goes to that party, wears those clothes, talks to that guy, they'll find someone better, and they'll drop them. Because of that low self-worth, they just can't see why that partner would choose them.
This all leads Stillman to succeeding, he keeps Debbie and uses the time machine to remove all conflict in their lives. And it completely destroys her. He successfully traps her in a world without excitement, where conflict can never happen, without the downs there can be no ups, and Debbie is an empty shell of herself by the end. Her free will unknowingly taken from her, she can't figure it out but it's the same as any person that gets trapped by someone that wants to keep them locked away, eventually the bird in the cage loses the ability to fly.
Stillman ultimately realises it's wrong, and goes back to undo his creation of the time machine. Debbie (somehow?) ends up back there too, and Stillman decides for her that she is better off without him. Although within the confines of the story what happens next doesn't make TONS of sense, I absolutely adore the message.
Debbie, now finally free, pulls Stillman back to her. She chooses him, not because anything but her. They'll have conflict, it won't always be perfect, but as long as she is free she will keep choosing him. The bird can fly now it's out the cage, but will choose to come home.
Sophie Turner does such an amazing job as Debbie by the way. She's sweet, for a lot of the movie, but it's when she's this empty shell that she really shines. Turner does such an excellent job portraying it, I just felt so badly for her.
We also get Skyler Gisondo as Evan, Stillman's best friend. He does a good job and is given some decent moments to shine, but is really overshadowed by the leads. He actually is a victim of Stillman's time travelling shenanigans, but this isn't explored too much other than by showing his addiction to it by the end. He almost is a villain by the end, which is an odd decision that didn't feel necessary.
I loved this film, it spoke to me. It's not perfect, but I think it's an underrated little gem that I'll always remember. It has had a profound impact on me and I know the lessons in it will stick with me forever.
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