“About Time” Simple time travel makes you realize the treasure-like brilliance of everyday life

Is the reason for the director's retirement contained in the movie?

By the way, many people were probably shocked by the news that "Curtis will retire from feature film direction with this film," which was announced prior to the release of the film. At the time, I was more of a "Why!?" type of person, but if you look at the film again with a more calm mind, you will see that the reason for his "retirement" is carefully depicted in the film itself.

Curtis is also famous for his screenplays (which he will continue to write) such as " Notting Hill " (1999) and " Bridget Jones's Diary " (2001), but "About Time" is his third feature film, which comes with even greater responsibility. Although " Love Actually " and " The Boat That Rocked " were both big hits, he says that he sacrificed a lot himself in making them.

"About Time

When the production of a film starts, Yu's life revolves around it for three years. This means that he can no longer embrace a "normal, ordinary life," and before you know it, he loses precious time with his family. As a man with a child who grows day by day, this is something he must have wanted to avoid at all costs. Looking at Bill Nighy, who plays the father watching his child grow up, and Domhnall Gleeson, who plays the main character following in his footsteps, Curtis' ideal way of life is now clear at a glance.

A film director is, in a word, a "profession that manipulates time and space." Ironically, in one scene, the protagonist says, "When I realized it, I no longer had to time travel," and "I realized that this moment is important," and I think that these lines are the ones that encapsulate all of Richard Curtis's honest thoughts.

“About Time” (C) 2015 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

He is deeply moved by this film, saying that he has "been able to depict the most normal life I have ever lived, an ordinary day to day life," and there is no doubt that this film marks his current achievement as a film director.

On the other hand, he never denies the possibility that he may return someday. When Curtis moves on to the next stage of his life, there may come a time when he will once again use his natural abilities to try to open up space and time. Whether it be 10 or 20 years from now, we can look forward to the day when this master director will once again take up the megaphone and tell his story.

Text: Atsushi Ushizu

Born in Nagasaki in 1977. When he was 3 years old, he saw ``Superman II'' with his father and became fascinated with movies. After The Graduate from Meiji University, he worked for a movie broadcasting channel and then became a movie writer. Currently, in addition to writing for Eiga.com, EYESCREAM, Real Sound Movie Club, etc., he also contributes to media press and theater programs.

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“About Time”

Blu-ray: 1,886 yen + tax

Publisher: NBCUniversal Entertainment

(C) 2015 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

*Information as of August 2019.