Movie Review: Time Freak
Director: Andrew Bowler
Reviewed: 18 February 2012
jamesintexas rating--**1/2 (4 Stars = Highest Rating)
A whimsical look at time travel, Time Freak is nominated for Best Short Film 2012. When I think about time travel, I tend to think big ala Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris or Marty McFly in Back to the Future; however, in Andrew Bowler's film Time Freak, the paradox is that we have learned to travel through time, yet we remain stuck in our immediate lives that there is no time to pursue the bigger questions.
The main character develops a time travel machine, and as a result, he remains trapped in a loop of the immediate reality: replaying an interaction with a dry cleaner, perfecting a meet cute with an ex-girlfriend, fixing a conversation with a friend. On a certain level, Bowler is confronting the existential questions of a film like Groundhog Day with quicker editing and payoffs. Ultimately, I don't think the camerawork or concepts develop as strongly as I would have hoped, and the performances are serviceable, but I think this film is more fun to think about than to watch.
The end joke is clever, but ultimately this film lacks profundity or grace in its construction and editing. It should not win the Academy Award.
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