After my recent guest
post at SF Signal about women directing science fiction romance movies, an
editor by the name of Peter Samet
alerted me via
Twitter that he'd edited a science fiction romance film by the name of TiMER (2009). And that a woman had directed it. Color me
intrigued! It was available on Netflix so I was able to watch it immediately.
TiMER (here's a link
to the official site) is a romantic comedy with a high concept SF hook. It was
written and directed by Jac
Schaeffer and stars Emma Caulfield as Oona O'Leary, a woman in
search of her soul mate. You can read the full story blurb here, but since it's kind
of long I'll summarize.
In the world of TiMER, science has been harnessed to connect
people who are soul mates. The connection is accomplished by a "TiMER,"
a device implanted in one's wrist. When two people who are soul mates choose to
be implanted with a TiMER, a countdown begins. It ends when they meet for the
first time.
A TiMER is optional. However, the more people who purchase a TiMER,
the more likely soul mates will connect with each other. For those who find their soul mate via a TiMER, the payoff is that science takes the whole work out of the process. In other
words, you know you're meant to be with this person and thus any concerns about
compatibility are moot.
When the story opens, Oona has been searching for her soul
mate for some time. She really buys into the promise of the TiMER and becomes
frustrated as she goes through a series of potential partners, none of whom end
up being her soul mate. With her biological clock ticking, she faces a
decision: how long should she allow the TiMER to dictate her love life?
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| Image source: TiMER |
As far as production values, this is a low budget film so I
adjusted my expectations accordingly. The SF elements were streamlined and hokey,
which made sense given the comedic angle. I felt the opening scene was raw, but the rest of it proceeded more smoothly.
I had strong mixed feelings about TiMER. The premise is
interesting, but the execution was flawed in places. Here are my non-spoiler
observations:
The film satirizes marketing and so the commercials for the
TiMER features lots of beautiful people in pretty settings sharing idyllic
testimonies about finding their soul mates. According to the director, the
stores where characters buy TiMERS are inspired by "cell phone
distributors." So that was clever.
The story explores a few different themes, for example, it questions whether the TiMER takes the spontaneity out of love. If you're
TiMER is counting down to the day when you'll meet your soul mate, do you
abstain from sex? Or does it become an excuse to sow a few wild oats before
settling down (for either gender)?
 |
| Emma Caulfield as Oona O'Leary. (image source: TiMER) |
The film hints at the darker side of the technology but
falls short of fully exploring the ramifications of it. For example, what if
you found your soul mate, but he dies of cancer five minutes after you meet
him? What if your soul mate speaks a different language? What if your soul mate
is ninety years old and you're only fourteen (the earliest age a person can get
a TiMER)?
The film featured the usual parade of pretty Hollywood actors (and so the lack of "ordinary" looking people represented another missed opportunity). There was one Hispanic soul mate, but
multi-cultural this story is not. It didn't explore the technological divide,
either. The TiMER costs $79.99, with monthly service payments of
$15.99, but is that an affordable price for everyone?
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| John Patrick Amedori as Mikey (image source: TiMER) |
Science, as symbolized by the TiMER, is kind of the villain because even though the TiMER is supposed to take the work out of
love, it's still a harrowing journey for many people, including the heroine.
The concept of science as evil isn't unusual, but given TiMERS are
an integral part of many characters' lives I would have liked to encounter more
exploration about the pros of this technology.
TiMER is a conflicted story IMHO. It satirized the idea of soul
mates yet some couples seemed to benefit greatly from it. Additionally, the
heroine's mother is depicted as a reader of romance novels. Yet she was described
as "crazy" by the heroine (and lovable, but the crazy part came
first). The film didn't seem sure about whether it wanted to satirize the
romance genre or celebrate it. And I detected a slight condescension toward the
soul mate concept as used in romance, as if the film had concerns about readers
who enjoyed it purely as a fantasy.
The biggest issue I had with TiMER was the ending. I'm not
going to spoil it, but it implies something that completely undermines what
came before. The resolution is closer to a Happily For Now rather than a
Happily Ever After, but even the HFN is barely there--about 5%.
TiMER does have a science fictional concept and a romance,
but the ending made me wonder if writer-director Jac Schaeffer was unsure
about which genre convention she wanted to follow for this story. The ending
waffles between a HFN and something else. I can't recommend this film to
romance fans who expect an HEA since the ending might make many of them upset,
but viewers who enjoy romantic SF and don't mind ambiguous endings could
certainly take a risk.
TiMER kept things
moving and there was never a dull moment, but it never quite gelled for me.
There were too many unanswered questions. The problematic subtext and
inconsistent social commentary were issues that, for me, kept this film from
being a more powerful examination of contemporary romance.
TiMER claims to explore "…the exhilarating and
unpredictable hot mess that is love," but I got the sense it was more
about being burned by love and the soul mate concept.
If you've seen this film, what did you think about it?
Joyfully yours,
Heather