Movie Monday: The Map of Tiny Perfect Things

One evening when my husband had a late online meeting for work, I set out to find just the right "me movie" to watch on my own. I wanted something uplifting and fun but with some depth to it; not just mindless fluff. I found just the right movie for my mindset in The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, a time-loop movie (ala Groundhog Day) with plenty of fun and a lot of heart.

Teen-aged Mark, played by Kyle Allen, has been stuck re-living the same day over and over ... and over. It's not even an especially good day: he doesn't get to see his mom at all, his dad wants to have an uncomfortable talk about his future, and nothing particularly exciting is going on. He takes to walking around town, witnessing the same people doing the same things every day and even gets some pleasure from helping to avert potential disasters that only he sees coming. But he's bored. Then one day at the pool, he notices Margaret, played by Kathryn Newton. He notices her because she's the only person in the entire place that isn't in the same place, doing the exact same thing as every other day. He works up the courage to introduce himself and eventually, to ask her the rather awkward question of whether she is stuck re-living this day, too. She is! Gradually, the two of them team up, the only people in the world who understand what they are each going through. Mark can tell Margaret is hiding some sort of secret because she rushes off at 6 pm every day without telling him where she's going. Otherwise, they really start to bond over their shared experiences and even get some enjoyment out of their situation when Mark comes up with the idea to make a map of "tiny perfect things," little moments of synchronicity they have discovered in this otherwise boring day. But Margaret's secret is coming between them, and they still can't figure out how to get unstuck.

If you've read my blog before, you know that I absolutely love any kind of fictional plot that plays with time: time travel, time shifts, or yes, time loops. So, of course, I loved the premise of this movie right from the start. But there is so much more to it that just the plot. The two main actors--who are really the stars of this show, with others in small parts supporting them--are both excellent in their roles. The writing is good, with plenty of smart, clever dialogue and nothing too trite or expected. The concept of the tiny perfect things is very cool, and it's fun to go along with them on their repeated journeys through town to document these moments. Best of all, though, is that this movie also has emotional depth to it, with some serious issues examined (including what's behind the time loop) and real feeling between the main characters. In short, it has heart and soul. I really enjoyed it; this was just the kind of uplifting and meaningful (but fun!) movie I was looking for.

The Map of Tiny Perfect Things is an Amazon Original movie, so it is available exclusively on Amazon Prime.