TiMER(Tick Tock)

So I was scrolling through the newly released "instant" movies on Netflix when I came across the movie TiMER, I had never heard of it but it was rated high and one of my favorite actresses Emma Caulfield from Buffy was in it. The idea behind the movie is that scientists have invented a device, a timer, that will tell you when you are going to meet your soul mate, provided of course that both people have implanted the device. SPOILER ALERT The story is about a woman who is about to turn thirty whose timer has still not begun to count down, her sisters timer on the other hand has begun its count down with thirteen years remaining before she is to meet her "ONE". The main character, Oona, continues to date timer-less men and eventually convinces them to get implanted, of course she is constantly disappointed when their timers don't sync up with hers. Her sister, Steph, chooses to sleep with random men who do have timers as a way to pass the time. Their 14 year old brother also gets an implant which reads that he will meet his soul mate in 3 days. However he doesn't meet his one on his first day in high school. His "one" turns out to be the daughter of his mother's new housekeeper. The younger brother meets his one in front of his mother, sisters and the girls parents, making the situation extremely awkward to say the least. Meanwhile Oona has met a young man(emphasis on young) in a grocery store named Mikey, he flirts with her, but she feels strange about the fact that his timers count down is four months. Her sister tells her its no big deal that basically she should have fun and sleep with him. She remains unsure until she has a dull blind date and meets Mikey again in her sisters bar where his band is playing. Mikey and Oona continue what she believes to be an ill fated relationship because he has an expiration date. Steph on the other hand has met a cute but timer-less guy, Dan, in the nursing home where she works. She doesn't sleep with timer-less men because they are too "needy" and attempts to set up Oona with him. Oona however is to busy with Mikey, once Steph finds out she an Oona argue because Steph feels that her sister is setting herself up for heart break. It turns out though that Mikey's timer is fake something he used to pick up girls but wasn't sure how to tell Oona about it. Oona continues to date Mikey and Steph continues to flirt with Dan. Oona becomes conflicted and lashes out at Mikey because she wants a "guarantee" and he can't do that for her without a timer. She ends up visiting her father for answers believing that he had left her mother, choosing not to get an implant, and finds out that not only did he get an implant it still has not "zeroed out" the woman he lives with however has removed her implant because although she knows he is not her "one" she doesn't care because she loves him. Oona and Steph decide to get their implants removed before their birthday. Steph happily get her's removed, but just as Oona is about to have hers removed it begins to count down, she chooses to leave it to find out who her "one" is. She and her sister arrive separately to their birthday where both Dan and Mikey have been invited. Before Oona arrives the mother of the younger brothers "one" has a translated conversation with the other mother. She basically says that because they are not friends, and she is the woman's housekeeper it would have been better if their children had met on their own, and kept it secret. Then when the two families found out they could yell and argue and eventually accept each other. The other mother agrees that this is true, and agree to remain as employee and employer for now. As Oona walks in she sees Mikey, but her mother rushes her over to meet some people including Dan, when her timer goes off. Dan is her "One". Of course Mikey and Steph leave, and Oona chases after them. She ends up in the kitchen with Dan and her sister, Dan explains that he only got the timer because of Steph, he was ready to be with someone again(his wife died). Steph and Oona fight and Oona tells Steph that she can stay with their parents and sulk for the weekend but she wants her back home on Monday, because before the guys were involved they were each others "one". Oona makes one more attempt with Mikey, but they can't go back. Her sister comes home and wakes her up and Oona goes for her customary morning jog a little later than usual, where she meets Dan and they chat a little, he tells her she should jog late again some other morning and they go off in opposite directions.

I LOVE this movie...I love the whole idea of it, and the fact that the ending was not typical romantic crap. The timer doesn't solve everyone's romantic or relationship issues, it just creates a different set of challenges. The timer is fantastic for some people and for other it creates confusion. I was rooting for both original couples, Steph and Dan, and Oona and Mikey. By the end you get a feel for how Oona and Dan are meant for each other, but you still feel the loss of the previous two relationships. I think I liked this movie so much because I can related to the idea of being on a timer, and definitely relate to Oona as someone whose timer has not even begun its countdown. That's how I feel like my timer hasn't even started and I'm still waiting for the damn thing to start ticking. I think the movie also showed that there are some relationships that we need to have, no matter how short lived, or painful, or fantastic. These relationships are supposed to teach us a little about ourselves. Actually this worries me all the more, as I have not had any relationship at all.