Written and directed by Sebastien Tobler, twenty-three years after being torn apart during the 1998 Jakarta riots, high school sweethearts Laela and Colin unexpectedly reunite in Los Angeles. With a cross-country move looming and a major career deadline ticking, the two share one powerful day revisiting what was—and what still might be. Starring: Ken Kirby, Leialani Nicol, Carlos Carrasco, Diane Robin, Earl Baylon, Marc Forget and Mitch Narito.
Straight out of the gate This Time creates the classic cute romcom vibes, with the quintessential bumping into an old flame and letting the day get away from you as you reconnect. The directorial style from Sebastien Tobler and cinematography from Garrett O’Brien feel very LA and have a really nice softness and a sunset tinged palette which is endearing. The tone that Tobler creates is traditionally charming, in no small part thanks to how natural it feels.
It also moves really well to almost appear like it’s in real time, while hours are passing by, as it has such an organic progression. The writing nicely captures that familiar banter and playful yet heated arguments of people with a strong history and connection. That history is really a huge part of This Time as it captures that closeness people can have when they’ve gone through similar experiences, and grown up in the same environments, so they can understand each other in a way that others simply can’t. Especially when it comes to experiences that are so closely linked to your heritage and culture, and those that are linked with traumatic and difficult moments in your life.
Ken Kirby and Leialani Nicol portray that wonderfully, they have such a wonderful chemistry and it’s not blinding sparks, it’s a deeper bond and understanding between them. Nicol in particular gives an interesting performance as Laela’s relationship with Colin is almost portrayed as a loss. Having been so close with him in their younger years, seeing him then thinking she might lose him again, she presents it as a version of grief. Watching them reconnect is very sweet and both Kirby and Nicol give enjoyable, touching performances.
There’s just one key problem, Kirby’s Colin is married. Meaning that your entire experience of this film is going to be very different depending on how you feel about that. If you’re happy to hope that they’ll rekindle the romance regardless, then great but otherwise it’s some morally dubious territory. It also immediately crosses off the ultimate endgame of any romcom, because either they don’t end up together or they do but he has then cheated on his wife, they’re not exactly the most satisfying of options which does restrict how impactful the film can be. It does have great intentions, and it is a decent story outside of that but without the actual romantic element, it can feel slightly meandering.
This Time is interestingly both a traditional and non-traditional romcom, because while it creates the look and feel of a classic romance, it’s not really about the romance. It’s two people reconnecting and rediscovering the good, and bad, days of their youth. It’s sweet and captivatingly natural, Ken Kirby and Leialani Nicol give great performances, the aesthetic is charming and tender. It’s great to see filmmakers attempting to reinvent the romcom genre, and not sticking to the simple rules, but ultimately this still did feel rather simple and the ending felt inevitable. It’s nice and decently made but missing something to take it further.
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