«Time Freak» - Movie Review by Kinoafisha

Physics student, Stilman (Esa Butterfield), and his girlfriend, Debbie (Sophie Turner), are happy together - at least, that's what the first few minutes of "Time Freak" would have you believe. Dozens of joint photos flash before us, capturing the youthful and beautiful couple. However, reality harshly slaps us in the face almost instantly. The film kicks off with Debbie summoning Stilman for a conversation, leaving the young man once again alone. Desperate to change something in the present, the physicist creates an impressive timeline of their relationship (highlighting all of his failures) and invents a time machine, of course, in order to fix everything and bring back the girl of his dreams. He is assisted in this task by his somewhat stoned and not overly bright friend, Evan (Skyler Gisondo).

It is worth noting right away that "Time Freak" is positioned as a rom-com, although there is little humor to be found here. Moreover, the film is genuinely unsettling - the protagonist of the story is not a romantic character, but a calculating and cold, maniacal teenager. Yes, Stilman supposedly loves Debbie, otherwise why would all of this be happening? But this raises another question: what does he consider "normal" relationships to be? Esa Butterfield's character obsessively tries to fix every detail, rectify every argument (eliminating them entirely), completely disregarding what his girlfriend wants. It is then clear that he couldn't care less about Debbie and is guided solely by his selfish goals (in one scene, after once again rectifying the situation, he immediately suggests having sex with her).

If we strip away the romantic facade of "Time Freak," the film turns out to be a story of toxic relationships, in which the main character manipulates not only the flow of time but also the desires of his girlfriend. All of this prevents any genuine empathy towards Butterfield's character, but it may be slightly easier to sympathize with Debbie - played by Sophie Turner, she appears utterly one-dimensional, and her entire existence revolves around her goal of becoming a singer (which she periodically doubts).

Director Andrew Bowler made his feature film debut with "Time Freak," which is based on his short film of the same name (a 2012 Oscar nominee). The unsuccessful debut is partly due to the fact that adult actors from the original were replaced with children (Butterfield, 21, and Turner, 22), who diligently portray adults (for example, in scenes from the future). However, it is difficult to believe that these teenagers go to work, earn money, and live in their own apartments. For experienced viewers, the saccharine sentimental songs in the soundtrack and the strange conceptual choices will serve as obstacles on the path to love. No one explains how the "genius" boy made this groundbreaking invention, or why he doesn't use it for other purposes. "Time Freak" may appeal to an audience of 12-year-old teenagers, provided they haven't seen "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." Professionally, this new sci-fi rom-com might only interest psychoanalysts, who will surely appreciate the deviant portrayal of love by the film's protagonist.