Weekend Watch: The “Groundhog Day” Phenomenon

Can I Run That Back One More Time?

Every day is filled with choices. Good ones, bad ones. The decisions that we make keep us up at night, regretting what we said or didn’t say. Humans function on a linear timeline, constantly thrust forward into the unknown to make decisions that either make or break us.

But what if you could just do it all over? Hit a reset button and try again? Go say hi to that guy, or avoid totaling your car.

“Groundhog Day” — The classic time loop movie that traps Bill Murray with that dang tree rat. He experienced the same day, over and over and over again — but each with a twist. Squandering his first few loops on one-night stands and endless binges, he indulges himself with the pleasures of life. Realizing this will never change, he drinks himself mad and commits suicide in a number of ways. By the end of the movie, Murray has lived and died a number of lives, but he is only able to escape once he learns the value of it — one life.

While Bill Murray is definitely on my personal Mount Rushmore of comedy actors, he is probably not the only reason people watch “Groundhog Day.” What compels people to watch movies like “Groundhog Day” or the comedic horror flick “Happy Death Day”? Neither seem like fun experiences — especially the latter; I don’t think dying is too fun of an experience — but audiences are hooked.

Over the years, many films have recreated “Groundhog Day,” adding their own spin to the cult classic and expanding globally.

This past semester, my roommate introduced me to her favorite anime — many would suggest I don’t share the name for spoiler reasons, but it’s called “Re:Zero” (Shhhhhhhhh. Don’t tell anyone). Early on the main character, Subaru Natsuki, finds out he is repeating sections of life every time he dies. Spanning either a day or a few weeks, he finds himself and others in increasingly unsettling and dangerous situations, each do-over giving him more knowledge of the situation.

Constantly learning how to fix problems to get out of the loop, he is still burdened by what happens in each new original loop. When confronted with the possibility of an alternate timeline for every loop, he breaks. He realizes that each action has consequences that continue to affect everyone else after he dies.

While “return by death” looping isn’t the only theme and problem in this show, it got me thinking about why there are so many time loop-esque movies and shows. I came to the conclusion that we hate making decisions. We see them as roadblocks to our own dreams and are scared to mess up our “timeline.”

It hit me; time loops are opportunities to try things over and over without consequence. Life restarts, your previous mistakes are gone with the timeline.

There is a lot of freedom in the mentality that you can just erase what happened. No blame or shame gets put on you. Even as believers — who have our lives saved by Christ — knowing that we could use a loop to avoid sin or hardships is alluring.

Living knowing that we can’t take anything back causes a lot of anxiety — more so when the action is followed by a lackluster response — adding to the appeal of a loop.

In our fallen world, actions and words are so important. As believers — and even non-believers — our choices are the most important parts of our day. The appeal of living in a world where you can loop a day or a time draws people in because it is carefree.

So many loop movies end with an idea that all was set right, happy endings where the guy gets the girl and they catch the killer. When confronted with an adverse timeline, how do audiences react? Displayed intensely in the show-that-shall-not-be-named, there is also a fear that we get stuck in a bad time loop, living our worst nightmare over and over again.

In nearly all variations of time loops, characters reach a moment where they hit a wall.

“What’s the point,” They ask. “Is there one?”

When thinking about the possibility of a time loop, I am honestly terrified. However, many people seem to enjoy and crave media surrounded by it. Perhaps it is the mystery of what can change, but I see the loop as a forever prison — monotonous day-to-day life with no purpose.

Even in our day-to-day life, with new experiences every day, I know I’ve reached that point. It’s an aspect of adulthood no one prepares you for. Being reminded that without God and His plans for me — without Him I would be terrified to do anything — is more reassuring than any loop. Normally I don’t get preachy in my writing, but I would say more believers should go watch a “Groundhog Day”-esque movie.

After Natsuki’s realization, he decides to treat each decision and life with as much weight as if he had only one. Many movies often miss this when they wrap up the story, the lesson often ending at “Oh, you should value the people and life you have” with little thought to the other side. Re:Zero takes this a step further, acknowledging that actions have a lasting impact on others, but you can’t always control their responses. This keeps with the idea of a clean slate but also shows the toll that it takes on people left with the memories.

Looking into my own hard memories makes me appreciate the good ones even more.

When it comes to life, I have learned that it is better to go through with the bad days, the embarrassment and the daunting tasks. It is what makes life worth living. All the “bad” moments and embarrassing memories make the good and new moments so much better, especially when you know it’s a core memory that can’t be experienced again. When it comes to how others react to my own blunders is their prerogative, but I can control how I treat others.

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