‘Omni Loop’ asks, ‘What accounts for our greatness?’

“Omni Loop” (2024). Cast: Mary-Louise Parker, Ayo Edebiri, Carlos Jacott, Hannah Pearl Utt, Chris Witaske, Fern Katz, Michael Laurino, Eddie Cahill, Steven Maier, Harris Yulin, Maddison Bullock, Riley Fincher-Foster, Jacob Bond, Jennifer Bassey, James Healy Jr., Roberto Escobar, Iman Crosson, Tracy Wiu, Rick Moose, James Benson. Director: Bernardo Britto. Screenplay: Bernardo Britto. Web site. Trailer.

There are many ways we can live our lives, but the one quality that most of us strive for is to find out what makes that existence – and, consequently, us – great. It’s not an easy question to answer, and we often spend considerable time trying to figure it out. We frequently encounter many fits and starts, and, no matter what “progress” we might like to think we’re making, we’re still often plagued by doubt and second-guessing, sending us around in a relentless cycle of circles. So how do we ultimately arrive at a definitively fulfilling answer to this question? That’s what a dying middle-aged woman hopes to discover for herself in the captivating and thoughtful new sci-fi comedy-drama, “Omni Loop.”

Zoya Lowe (Mary-Louise Parker) doesn’t have long to live. The accomplished, Miami-based fifty-something physicist and science writer, ironically, has been diagnosed with the inexplicable presence of a black hole in her chest that’s getting progressively larger, threatening to consume her in short order. Of course, as a scientist, she’s well aware of the implications and inevitable outcome of this. But this conclusion is based on more than just her knowledge of physics; it’s also based on personal experience, given that she’s been down this path countless times before. Zoya, it seems, is trapped in a temporal loop that endlessly repeats itself, lasting a week each time and then recurring at the same exact starting point, playing out the same way as each previous iteration. And she’s the only one who appears to know about this.

Zoya’s recognition of this phenomenon stems from the fact that there are certain events that tip her off as to when she’s about to conclude a cycle, such as a characteristic nosebleed that signals she’s nearing the end of the “current” week. That’s her cue to take a special pill that forestalls death and enables the cycle to repeat. She’s not sure what those mysterious pills are, having found them when she was a youngster (Riley Fincher-Foster). And she never seems to run out of them, either; they somehow manage to replicate themselves so that she has a never-ending supply. Beyond that, there are two other facts that she knows about them: (1) they’re the key to implementing the start of a new weekly cycle and (2) they’re part of some grand plan to help her discover and attain her personal greatness, an insight enigmatically imparted to her at the time she found them in her youth.

As noted previously, Zoya is the only one who’s aware of what’s happening. Even if she tries hinting to others what’s occurred, or even outright tells them about what she’s been experiencing, her comments leave no lasting impression on them, given that each cycle starts over anew every time and plays out exactly the same way, with no recorded memory on their part of what happened previously. For example, her husband and writing partner, Donald (Carlos Jacott), and her adult daughter, Jayne (Hannah Pearl Utt), have no clue about what’s transpiring each time around, even if Zoya makes observations about events as they faithfully repeat themselves, statements that Donald and Jayne dismissively chalk up to cryptic, easily ignored remarks that may be a side effect of her declining condition.

Physicist and science writer Zoya Lowe (Mary-Louise Parker) seeks an answer to escaping an unrelenting temporal loop in the engaging new sci-fi comedy-drama, “Omni Loop,” available for streaming online. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

Meanwhile, Zoya grows ever more dissatisfied with her circumstances. She feels trapped in some kind of temporal purgatory. Indeed, what’s to be gained by constantly reliving the same events over and over again, especially with the eventual outcome already known in advance? This cycle won’t even let her die from the allegedly fatal condition that’s supposedly consuming her, preventing her from escaping this seemingly pointless exercise in rote existential repetition. She thus can’t even move on to explore the new form of existence that death is supposed to afford us.

What’s more, what does this endless cycle of unchanging recurrence have to do with achieving the greatness promised to her when she made her discovery of the mysterious pills years earlier? How does reliving the same events of this particular week’s time accomplish that? It feels more like personal stagnation than personal growth and brings Zoya no closer to the answers she seeks for herself – or to her alleged destiny.

However, that all changes one day when an unexpected development occurs that begins taking Zoya in a new direction. While visiting her aging mother (Fern Katz) at a nursing home, she engages one of the facility’s residents (Jennifer Bassey) in a rhetorical conversation about the futility of an existence driven by stalemate. Zoya’s frustration over her unceasing circumstances comes pouring out, so much so that it prompts a change in her behavior – and a subsequent shift in the timeline that has been playing out without alteration for as long as she can remember. Her resolve for change is so palpable that it initiates a new series of events, beginning with a seemingly chance meeting with Paula (Ayo Edebiri), a student of theoretical physics who works as a lab assistant at a local community college. Considering Zoya’s educational background in physics, she and Paula discuss their mutual interest in the subject, which, in turn, gives Zoya an idea – maybe they can draw upon their shared scientific knowledge and aptitude to help her find a way out of her tediously unrelenting circumstances – namely, solving the mystery of time travel to enable her to go back in time more than just one week.

Thus begins Zoya’s exploration for a solution to escape her temporal loop. Of course, it’s a time-consuming process that takes several “weeks,” each one characterized by having to start over somewhat each time, given that the knowledge gained from previous cycles is lost to everyone except Zoya from iteration to iteration. The work involved in this includes an array of experiments with Paula, as well as a series of exchanges with a former professor and mentor (Harris Yulin). But, somewhat surprisingly, this process also prompts some profound and unexpected soul-searching, including recollections of a former peer and old flame (Eddie Cahill), Donald’s younger self (Jacob Bond), and Zoya’s adoring and ever-encouraging father (Michael Laurino).

Theoretical physics student Paul (Ayo Edebiri) unexpectedly finds herself caught up in a plan to help an acclaimed scientist solve an enigmatic dilemma, as seen in writer-director Bernardo Britto’s thought-provoking new sci-fi comedy-drama, “Omni Loop,” available for streaming online. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

This experience gives Zoya pause to look back on her life, particularly how she spent her time. It pushes her to ask herself, “What exactly constitutes the greatness that I was supposed to achieve?” For example, did she reach the heights that she was supposed to attain as a physicist, or did she fall short of her potential? Did marrying and having a family unduly derail those plans, and were her roles as wife and mother as fulfilling as what she might have achieved had she pursued plans to become a renowned and accomplished scientist? Indeed, were Donald and Jayne “mistakes” in her life, or were her marriage and motherhood “achievements” on par with what she might have achieved scholastically and professionally?

Perhaps that journey of self-discovery is what Zoya’s temporal loop was meant to evoke. Maybe she had been putting it off for far too long, that it was something she was meant to explore before the clock ran out. Indeed, perhaps this personal odyssey was supposed to help her identify the greatness she was promised and that she was ultimately supposed to discover for herself. Sometimes we may need a little help to get pushed into these kinds of introspective pursuits, exercises that are important to understanding the nature of our being but that we may avoid engaging in for reasons that can only be revealed through processes like this. Whatever the purpose, however, we can only hope that we come out of them better off for having done so – something that Zoya, one would hope, is able to figure out for herself.

Of course, if Zoya wants answers to the many questions this experience has prompted, she needs to first look to herself, specifically the beliefs she holds about her world, her life, what constitutes personal greatness, and, most importantly, what she hopes to draw from all this. The reason behind that is the fact that our beliefs determine what results in our lives, a product of the conscious creation process, the philosophy that accounts for the manifestation of the reality we experience. It’s unclear if Zoya has ever heard of this way of thinking, though, given her knowledge of the principles of quantum physics, this school of thought should seem comparatively familiar and eminently understandable, something that she should be readily able to make use of in her quest for answers. The question, though, is will she do that?

Given that Zoya has been repeating the same cycle for so long, she would appear to be metaphorically and metaphysically stuck. She hasn’t given herself permission to employ her consciousness to get out of her predicament. Instead, she has allowed herself to languish in an unending, unchanging, essentially stagnant temporal loop. Perhaps she’s not ready to address the foregoing questions. Perhaps she’s preoccupied with simply doing whatever it takes to stay alive, even if that means sandwiching her existence into an endless cycle of repetition, a rather unsatisfying compromise from all appearances. Or perhaps she just doesn’t know what the answers to her dilemma should be and is afraid to find out.

Jayne Lowe (Hannah Pearl Utt, foreground) attempts to offer comfort to her fatally ill mother in writer-director Bernardo Britto’s insightful new sci-fi comedy-drama, “Omni Loop,” available for streaming online. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

No matter what the cause, however, she fortunately comes to the realization that she can’t keep going on as she has been. The frustration that has been building up inside her for so many cycles has finally pushed her into pursuing a different course, a development akin to a sort of belief catalyst to implement change. And, as evidenced by her unexpected encounter with Paula, that’s exactly what she’s finally manifested for herself, setting in motion a process aimed at getting her off the dime and onto a new path of discovery and revelation.

This scenario is one familiar to anyone who has ever felt existentially immobilized. When we reach a point where we can no longer tolerate the unrelenting sameness, something invariably happens to shake us out of our complacency. That seminal event may seem like something random, yet, unwittingly, we’re responsible for drawing it into our lives to get us moving again. It opens up our consciousness and nudges us in the direction of considering new and fresh ideas. And, based on how things have been going in Zoya’s life, that’s exactly what she needs.

This experience provides Zoya with an opportunity to consider all of the professional and personal issues discussed previously. It allows her to examine her aspirations as a scientist and how well she has (or hasn’t) fulfilled them. It enables her to look at the significance and relevance of her personal life, particularly in her roles as a wife and mother. It gives her a chance to explore the choices she has made in these areas. And it helps her examine that question about the nature of her personal greatness that has been gnawing away at her since her youth.

In addition, this experience allows Zoya to make preparations for what lies ahead. Since she’s no longer stuck in the same old repeating loop, she has an opportunity to explore plans for what she wants as she heads into the great unknown – a future in which she can reshape her destiny to something she wants for herself. It gives her a chance to tie up loose ends, and it enables her to pass on her legacy to others, such as Jayne, who is about to come into a new life of her own, and Paula, whose status as Zoya’s protégé is on its way into blossoming into something bigger and more significant. Those accomplishments, it would seem, are pretty great in themselves. In some ways, they might not seem especially meaningful at first glance, but, when one considers the impact they can carry going forward, they’re by no means insignificant or easily dismissed. They could readily be viewed as a destiny fulfilled, one with lasting impact and one that embodies the conscious creation notion of value fulfillment – the concept of being our best, truest selves for the betterment of our spirits and those whose lives we touch. Forward progress, it would seem, is its own greatness indeed.

Amassing and possessing profound philosophical, metaphysical and theoretical scientific knowledge can provide us with unique insights into the nature of existence and how reality comes into being, and aspiring to the attainment of that wisdom is undoubtedly a noble and worthwhile goal. But, in all truthfulness, what good is that knowledge if we lack the practical, plainspoken common sense to know what to do with it, particularly when it comes to shaping the destinies of our own lives? Does such a lofty objective truly lead to meaningful satisfaction and genuine fulfillment? Or is it somehow secondary in the greater scheme of things when compared to those accomplishments that give us real meaning? Those are the questions thoughtfully raised in writer-director Bernardo Britto’s fine sci-fi comedy-drama, a surprisingly profound offering that’s simultaneously entertaining and enlightening.

The intrepid investigative duo of physicist Zoya Lowe (Mary-Louise Parker, left) and theoretical physics student Paula (Ayo Edebiri, right) work diligently to solve a scientific enigma in writer-director Bernardo Britto’s thought-provoking new sci-fi comedy-drama, “Omni Loop,” available for streaming online. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

In the face of impending mortality, the film prompts us all to engage in meaningful introspection about such issues as have we made the most of our lives and what, in fact, constitutes the nature of corporeal fulfillment and personal greatness? In the process, the picture packs a great deal of genuinely thoughtful material into an intelligently conceived, smartly written, and at times poetic story that explores heady sci-fi topics from an intensely personal, extremely intimate standpoint, something rarely seen in films from this genre. It accomplishes this without relying on an abundance of glitzy special effects, too, instead employing some of the most effective film editing I’ve ever seen, presenting vivid imagery with dazzling, dramatic, rapid-fire precision to captivate audiences and hold viewer attention. It also features what’s arguably Parker’s best on-screen performance, revealing a dynamic range of emotions from joy to sadness to vulnerability not often seen in characters in narratives such as this. There’s a fair amount of well-placed comic relief as well, inspired by the narratives of films like “Groundhog Day” (1993) but without being an obvious copycat. Admittedly, the picture drags a bit at times in the second half (at least by comparison to the sustained frenetic pace of its opening act), but that’s more than made up for by the emotionally affecting closing sequence, one that’s sure to melt viewers’ hearts. “Omni Loop” is unlike most other science fiction offerings that most of us have probably seen, but it’s one well worth a look, especially for the lingering impressions it’s likely to leave on us and the soul-searching it’s designed to encourage, considerations we should all bear in mind when it comes to the lives we create for ourselves, undertakings that we should strive to handle skillfully, with a sense of joy and an aim for achieving the greatest degree of fulfillment attainable. The film is currently available for streaming online.

Like so many other films these days, this release encourages viewers to look within to discover themselves, particularly when we can see the number of days ahead of us start to shrink. In practices like this, there may be a temptation for us to focus on regrets and the things we got wrong. However, as this picture so aptly illustrates, it’s important for us to consider what we got right, the acts and accomplishments that made us great. And the conclusions we draw by engaging in such an exercise may end up surprising us, often in pleasantly unexpected ways. As we prepare to depart the earthly plane for whatever comes next, then, doesn’t it make sense to give ourselves a pat on the back or take a victory lap for those achievements for which we want to be remembered – or that we want to remember for ourselves as cherished memories embedded within our consciousness? It seems to me that this is something we don’t need to go around in circles about, that we can complete the loop we’re on and be ready to take the next step to whatever that upcoming grand adventure might be.

Copyright © 2024, by Brent Marchant. All rights reserved.

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