Omni Loop is an effective, heartfelt drama that breathes a fresh perspective into the otherwise tired, oversaturated genre of time-loop movies. I think what makes these types of movies effective is a focus on human connection. It’s less about the magical wonders of time travel and more about how time travel provides its passengers a rare opportunity to examine their life and what they value most. 

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The film follows Zoya (Mary-Louise Parker), a physicist and author with a dwindling passion for the field. Zoya is diagnosed with a  mysterious and galactically terminal illness: A black hole in her chest that threatens to erase her from existence. Her doctors diagnose this whimsical scifi death sentence like any other common deadly disease seen in their profession. The movie exists in a vacuum where fantastical and unexplainable phenomenon are met with mundane, low key reactions. I believe this is done partially as a commentary on society’s general lack of appreciation for the sciences and also as a means to inject dark, witty humor into an otherwise melancholic lens of the main character who has grown weary of the world surrounding her. 

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Mary-Louise Parker is charismatic as someone who finds herself infinitely stuck in an end of life crisis. As a child, Zoya stumbled upon a means to travel back in time, but over the course of her life, has become jaded by her supernatural gift of time travel and her family and professional life. As her will to live dwindles and she begins to question how much longer she can stave off the inevitable, she discovers a new muse in a young physicist student named Paula (played by Ayo Edebiri of The Bear fame). After a repetitive series of convincing and explanation from Zoya, Paula agrees to embark on a quest for answers to Zoya’s ability to time travel. Parker and Edebiri have believable chemistry on screen and effectively portray a student/mentor relationship that eventually evolves into a meaningful bond with mutual admiration and care for one another. 

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Omni Loop is not a flashy sci-fi spectacle as the premise may lead you to believe, but instead serves as a character study and a worthwhile examination of humanity in general. Despite not being a sci-fi action adventure film, it it should be noted that the film does excel with a few memorable special effects and props. The black hole inside Zoya’s chest is an impressive, albeit subtle effect. There is also an amusing side story featuring a perpetually shrinking scientist who is contained inside a small box akin to a plastic enclosure a hamster or lizard would reluctantly call home. These charming, creative moments in Omni Loop couple surprisingly well with its moody, dramatic turns and because I enjoy puns: black(hole) comedy.