Time loop stories may no longer be original, but they will always be interesting to me. I heard about The Map of Tiny Perfect Things recently and was instantly intrigued. Each version that I have seen so far of this concept has been different and I was curious to see how it would all unfold this time around. The film was certainly enjoyable though I do think I expected too much from it.
Mark (Kyle Allen) has been stuck living the same day over and over for some time now. It has gotten to the point where he almost doesn’t care what he does with his time because he’s sure that nothing will ever change. But then one day, something does happen that changes everything. Mark meets Margaret (Kathryn Newton). Turns out she is also reliving the same day Mark is. They decide to team up to try and figure out why this has happened to them and how they can break out of it.
What I liked the most about this was that the story picked up in the middle of the time loop and not at the beginning of it. We as the audience knew from the start that Mark had been stuck for quite some time now as he had adopted a similar routine for himself to follow. I think that this had more of an impact and it made me curious to find out why he was in this predicament to begin with. I also liked how Margaret was introduced and that the two of them could sort out their issues together.
While they tried to give depth to the film, I do think that there could have been more. Unlike Palm Springs for example, I don’t think that this version was different than what we have seen before. I did appreciate the fact that the two main characters really tried to focus on the smaller things in life that we otherwise don’t pay attention to, but I was hoping for more at the end of the day.
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things was a cute take on a familiar story. It was entertaining enough for an hour and a half, however I wish it had left more of an impression on me.
Rating: ♥♥♥
Credits Rolling 