It Really Is About Time

Imagine if you could relive yesterday. What would say that you did not say? What would you do that you did not do? Now imagine you could relive any day in your past until you made it a perfect day. That is the premise of the 2013 film written and directed by Richard Curtis, About Time.

In the film, the males in a particular family have the ability to whisk themselves back to any day in their past (with some important exceptions) and relive it. Naturally, the young protagonist of the film, Tim (portrayed by Domhnall Gleeson), initially uses his strange power mostly to successfully court the woman he loves. Later, after he is married with children, Tim uses his power mostly to spend time with his father (portrayed by Bill Nighy)—and it is this familial love story that for me is the heart of the film. Gleeson and Nighy offer heartfelt, moving performances in these roles.

Although we can never have the power to go back and relive the past (however much we might sometimes want to), we do have the power to make today, to the best of our ability, what we want it to be. That is the power the film is really about, and that is why the film is worth experiencing and re-experiencing.

Related:

• Purpose, Value Hierarchies, and Happiness
• Review: Star Trek, the Original Films

About Ari Armstrong

Ari Armstrong blogs at AriArmstrong.com, and he has written for publications including the Denver Post and Complete Colorado. He is the author of Values of Harry Potter: Lessons for Muggles, a book exploring the heroic fight for life-promoting values in the Potter novels.

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