Christopher Nolan’s recent film Tenet blew our minds and made us question every law of time and space we ever thought existed. The film is also timely, because for a large chunk of 2020 we felt like we were reliving the same uneventful day over and over again, with slight variations.
Hence, in honour of Tenet and the weird year we all lived through, we are bringing to you, some of the best films that feature an endless time loop. These films (and a show) are from various genres, to keep things versatile.
Palm Springs
Actor, comedian and Lonely Island producer Andy Samberg’s filmography is similar to the concept of a time loop. At first glance, it seems like he plays the same goofy guy from his SNL days over and over again. However, if you look closer, there are several added layers to each of his ‘goofy’ characters that make his performance memorable and different. In the recent hit Palm Springs, Andy Samberg and the hilarious Cristin Milioti play two people who develop a romance while being stuck in a desert wedding.
Happy Death Day
There weren’t a lot of high hopes for this black comedy slasher film, but once it released, everyone wanted a piece of it. Happy Death Day was a mixture of ‘Scream’ and Groundhog Day and people loved lead actress Jessica Roth’s performance as the college student who gets brutally murdered on her birthday and wakes up at a stranger’s dorm. She then decides to let loose and not give two hoots. There’s also a sequel to the film, which is equal parts terrifying and fun.
Russian Doll
Despite being a show, we are recommending Russian Doll to you because it is one of the best shows there ever is. Of all time. Regardless of a genre. Period. This one season series is extremely bingable and actually makes you want to watch the same day repeat over and over again. Natasha Lyonne’s Nadia is a person you are irritated by and root for at the same time. Russian Doll is a show you’ll find yourself coming back to when life seems dull.
Edge of Tomorrow
A high-budget sci-fi action film starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt is not in our list because it is a part of ‘the mainstream.’ It is because people genuinely enjoy watching this film. There’s something heroic about the less-than capable Major Bill Cage, who with every ‘rebirth’ gets better and better at his job. Emily Blunt’s Rita Vrataski is a total boss and it’s amazing to watch her as the only person capable of saving the world from aliens. Edge of Tomorrow is not a film where you analyze or make scientific debates about its plotline. It’s a film based on a manga comic that you enjoy with your friends.
Groundhog Day
A lot of time-loop movies on various lists have been described as a ‘mix of xyz and Groundhog Day,’ which should give you an idea that this 1993 film is the OG iconic film with this theme. Bill Murray is hilarious as the unhinged weatherman who has by the fourth time gives up on his pompous image and drinks, eats and robs his looped days away. Groundhog Day is undoubtedly timeless and a good example of how great writing can make a done to death topic fresh and interesting. It also leaves you with something to think about.
Game Over
Game Over, a multi-lingual Indian film starring Taapsee Pannu is an amazing time-loop film that deserves a place up with the high-budget sci-fi ones like Edge of Tomorrow. A disabled video-game developer with PTSD of a traumatic event falls prey to a serial killer who makes her play a twisted game again and again. With the time-loop theme, the makers also incorporated the concept of a video game, so the protagonist has to get out of this loop before the number of her ‘lives’ end. While it is storytelling at its peak, Taapsee Pannu’s performance makes the film unforgettable.
Before I Fall
In the beginning of this list, we had talked about the different genres of these time-loop movies and we are sticking to that promise. Before I Fall is a young-adult high school drama starring Zoey Deutch where her character dies in a car crash to wake up in the morning of that fateful day. What makes Before I Fall different from most time-loop stories is that instead of it being a story about self-preservation from impending disaster, it is about a person who is trying to make herself better every day. The film’s popularity post its release also showed that people related to most of it.
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