Spark

A queer themed time loop story is definitely novel idea. I have seen a few time travel stories so far (primarily in the Asian BL market), but time loop is definitely different. There is a certain appeal to the idea of a protagonist reliving their lives in a loop while trying to figure their way out of it and Spark fits well into this category. It is a thriller love story that makes for a decent watch, but somewhere remains short in keeping viewers engaged for a long time. 

Aaron, is the careless, in-love twenty-something caught in an annoying time loop. Every afternoon, Aaron wakes up to their roommate Dani, offering them a glass of wine that has gone horribly off. Dani reminds them her habit to refuse to see red flags in guys and Aaron promises to do better. All that starts to change once he meets Trevor, an intriguing stranger he’s paired up with for a birthday party scavenger hunt. While Trevor at first seems fairly distant and aloof, there is a hint of interest, which is enough for Aaron to use the time loop to his advantage. Aaron is smitten, and the two men fall into a quick and easy banter. Despite Aaron's promise to Dani, the encounter leads to sex. At a crucial moment, Aaron wakes, and once again, Dani stands in the doorframe of their bedroom, holding a glass of bad wine. And the entire day repeats. As these time loop things go, it seems relatively low stakes, but then again, maybe trying to find love and build something up from just a spark is the most important thing. As the cycle continues, he learns how to manipulate the situation to his advantage. In this case, that means finding everything about Trevor so they can impress upon him how alike they are. The question remains whether is it just Aaron who knows about this loop or is there something that Aaron feels too. The eventual secret reveal is emotional and you can see Aaron's point of view on why he wanted the time loop to continue and the film ends interestingly with Aaron and Dani as a couple (out of nowhere).

The film starts with intrigue, because as an audience you wanna know why the time loop, how to get out of it, what's  causing it and why specifically Aaron. The truth about Trevors boyfriend was something I did not expect and that was likely the only redeeming thing about this film. Sadly, by the time the film reaches there, the constant repetitive scenes, test your patience, What I didn't understand is why is Aaron suddenly so infatuated with Trevor, who comes across very soulless and bland (although hot). I am not even going into the whole science of time travel, because this is supposed to be about the relationship drama. As Aaron repeatedly returns to that one day, there are more questions raised than answers—and the questions grow darker. Trevor isn't just waving a red flag; he is a red flag. But will Aaron recognize the signs, or will their need for love get in the way of better judgment? Even with the flaws that his film has, it must be said that the naturalized presentation of trans and on-binary characters was a welcome change. I have mixed feelings about the ending. Aaron and Trevor both do a good job given the story material they were handed. With an interesting plot twist at the end, this would have been much better, if there was more thrill to keep audience glued to go through the film to wait for the end. (5/10)