This past weekend I came across a movie on Netflix called Timer and it inspired me to make another post. Although it was probably a B rated movie, the concept was amazing and I have not stopped talking about it all weekend. The question it poses is this: if there were timers that you put on your wrist to tell you when you would meet your true love, would you get one? I automatically answered yes, but after watching the movie I have become skeptical.
This movie is, of course, set in America and again shows our constant need of instant gratification and living on the fast track. The problem with these timers are that so much of our lives changed without people even realizing it. These timers took over so fast that most of the country had one. You get them installed when you are 14 and it either tells you how many days until you meet your one or it is blank. This changed the way everyone lived their lives. There was no point dating anyone or investing in anything. There were no wrong turns, broken hearts, or wasted tears. But don’t we learn from our wrong turns and mistakes? Most people chose not to waste their time. Although, you would get to spend those days counting down not worrying, traveling the country, and doing what you always wanted to do.
This literally blew my mind because there were so many pros and cons. The movie followed two girls who were step sisters, one who had a blank timer and one who would meet her one when she was 40. They were both considered failures at love by their mother. When their brother got the timer, at age 14, his displayed... 3 days. Both of the girls were devastated. What would you do with all that time? The sister with the blank timer was determined to find her one and only dated guys without timers and would make them go get one after a couple of dates. This is where I became a skeptic about these timers. She brought her dates in to this franchise looking store. The workers were all overly cheery. It looked like eharmony on crack, that took over the world. This is where the viewers learned that you must pay to have the timer put in, a fee every month, a removal fee if you decide to get it removed and that if removed you can never get it again. But, there is a 100% guarantee to work. What do you do?
At some points in the movie I started to think this company just took over the world and forced American’s to believe in it. When the little brother met his one, their timers went off and they just looked at each other awkwardly. His one was the family’s maid’s daughter, who spoke no English. They knew they would fall in love, but when? It was almost like an arranged marriage. I started to think what if a company just matched people by their profiles and gave them a date they would meet each other, then would you automatically fall in love with that person, because a company told you to? Can you control love that much? Can you force your love on someone you really do not love, do not know, but know you are supposed to?
There are so many questions that came up for me. All I can say is to watch the movie, it will really get you thinking. It is not dense, but at the same time is so dense I could write a ten page paper on it. The only way you will get it is if you watch the movie and come up with your own opinion. Would you let the instant gratification take over your life?
Ashley Burger
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