Every romantic comedy could use a little injection of the originality of "TiMER." By far the most interesting love stories come from independent filmmakers these days and Jac Schaeffer's debut is another shining example. Sure, science-fiction concepts and love stories aren't exactly bread and butter, but "TiMER" opens up infinite possibilities for discussion about what true love really is while remaining lively, entertaining and sharply written.
The film revolves around a concept that's simple enough: what if you could find out the day you were to meet your soul mate just by having a timer installed on your wrist? If scientific implausibility bothers you, skip "TiMER," because the film operates on this assumption entirely. Former "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" actress Emma Caulfield stars as Oona, a woman on the verge of 30 but whose timer is useless because as it turns out, her supposed soul mate doesn't have one. Although her story is the main thread, there are numerous subplots that explore the various possibilities of the implications of such a device.
The greater question at hand then becomes "what if love lost all its predictability?" How would we choose to live our lives? Oona is a successful orthodontist who desperately wants to know who "the one" is. She's taken numerous guys she has met to get timers installed to see if they're him, but to no avail. Her frustration and the influence of her promiscuous stepsister Steph (Michelle Borth) whose timer won't go off until she's over 40 lead her to a fling with a younger guy named Mikey (John Patrick Amedori) whose timer has about four months left on it.
Much of the earlier drama is regarding the question of whether two people who have proof that they aren't meant for each other should become involved. This situation and many other hypotheticals that arise in the film are tough; we barely understand love as it exists in reality, so how can one expect Schaeffer to capture a totally made-up version of it? Even if there are some gaps, Schaeffer's clearly thought through all the possibilities of what relationship drama (that's also between family and friends) would look like in this society and it shows. Credit also belongs to Caulfield, who's forced to embody this "hypothetical" struggle internally and instantly jives with our sympathies.
Schaeffer's also a heck of a writer. Some studio would be wise to swoop her up to write romantic comedies (in part because she's a woman and there aren't enough of them writing rom-coms). There wasn't an ounce of dialogue that felt cliché, no jokes that didn't feel organic to the characters making them (namely Borth, who's excellent) or the situations they came from.
That brings us to the ending. I have to pity any writer who has to resolve a romantic comedy, especially one that challenges our perceptions as much as "TiMER." The need for a satisfying ending is more powerful with romance than any other genre and Schaeffer already has to be poignant because this is a high-concept film. She does well. It's a bit rough and she could make a better case for her decision, but at least we can take solace in the fact that it's not a giant cliché waiting to crack on our head. That, and the rest of the film (especially the themes and raised questions) was pretty darn good.
~Steven C
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