To call a film life-changing has the potential to feel meaningless when you exaggerate too often. Which is why I try to avoid making such bold statements about the movies I watch. Especially films I stumble upon long after their release date when most people have long forgotten about them.
I don't hesitate, however, to call 2013's About Time a life-altering viewing experience. I first watched the film on Netflix in 2021, eight years after its debut. I was looking for a Friday night solo movie watch that would make me "feel something," and a friend immediately recommended this one.
"It literally changed my life," they added. "I won't tell you anything else about it. Go into it knowing nothing."
I'd love to be able to give you the same advice, but I also have to assume a little context is expected when you read these sorts of articles. So here's what I'll tell you. About Time is a movie about time. A man discovers he has the ability to move through time and alter his past and, therefore, his future. I have spoiled nothing. This is as much detail regarding the plot that I'm comfortable providing without revealing too much of the magic.
The reality is that I'm recommending you watch a film from over 10 years ago without telling you much of what it's about. But I can dive a little further into how it might make you feel -- or rather, I can give you some hints based on how the movie impacted me.
I tend to fall in love instantly with stories about family and the value of the time we spend with those we love -- and how we choose to spend that time. I also typically gravitate toward movies, balanced expertly between hilarious and dramatic, that force me to contemplate the meaning of my own existence. That ask me to question what I'm doing here, why it matters, and what I'm going to do to change the current trajectory of my life.
About Time is the story I credit for leading to my ultimate decision about whether or not I wanted kids. It is a film that gave me the courage, not more than a few months after seeing it, to leap into the unknown (within one month later that year, I moved across the country to live with my partner permanently and changed jobs for the first time in nearly five years). When I have moments of doubt when it comes to my career, my relationships, my future -- I immediately think back to this movie.
Because About Time is not just a story about time travel. It's a story that will grab hold of you, break you down, and put you back together in a little over two hours. It will leave you better than it found you. I can almost guarantee that as long as you keep its story in the back of your mind, you will never take another single moment for granted. You will hold your loved ones closer. You will make every moment count. You will savor the life you have, because it is the only one you'll get.
These are the kinds of stories that truly matter -- the ones that reshape us without warning. I went into it expecting to experience some classic emotions. I emerged from it feeling truly alive, and ready to start living, possibly for the very first time.
I can say nothing more. I leave the rest to you. If you come out of this experience the exact same as you were before, I don't want to know. That's between you and About Time.