Synopsis:
Since losing her husband Mal (Edi Gathegi) in a drunk-driving incident, Sophie (Judy Greer) has struggled to manage crippling grief, a full-time job, and the demands of parenting her devastated teenage daughter (Faithe Herman). When her husband’s best friend Jabir (Payman Maadi), a former physicist, reveals that he has been building a time-bending machine that could restore her former life, Sophie will be faced with an impossible choice—and unforeseeable consequences.
What We Thought:
Aporia is a pretty solid entry into the time changing genre. It’s a well made and well acted drama that doesn’t try to be anything it’s not. It gives its rules, doesn’t break them for a happy ending and holds your attention throughout.
What it does best is lean into the consequences of changing time. So many time travel/time changing movies only use time to create what they want without thinking of what other events change. Judy Greer’s character wants revenge on the man who killed her husband and by changing one bit in the past, it not only changes her timeline/life, but the change to the man’s life changes that of a woman and child in his life. Greer’s family is better, but the consequences of their actions greatly changes a woman and her daughter and they feel bad. It humanizes the experience of changing time for your own benefit and who decides enough is enough.
Greer is great in the role. She’s struggling to cope with the death of her husband and her teen daughter is having her own issues. Then when her husband’s friend offers hope, Greer has to figure out if changing things is worth it and then has to cope with the consequences and how far you’re willing to go to fix things.
Despite it being a science fiction film, the movie stays grounded in reality which makes it easy to follow and understand. It’s a more realistic drama because it never gets too science based. A woman is struggling with loss and wants to get through that loss, anyone can understand that concept. By not going too scientific or full of CGI, the average person can follow along.
Aporia was a nice surprise. It feels more like an indie film than a sci-fi flick and that’s a good thing. The cast is good. The story makes sense. The consequences of actions are real. Fans of Judy Greer will enjoy her performance as well. If you can check it out do so.
The Nerds Templar 