*Spoilers are included in this article.
Movies are my passion. Which means not only do I want to get involved in the film industry but when I talk about movies, especially my favorites, it can pretty quickly turn into a debate if we disagree on something. I'm pretty open minded when it comes to arguing about a plot or character motives in most cases, but when talking about the 2013 film "About Time" there is one thing I will always stand by. It is not a romantic comedy.
Before I dive into this topic, what is this movie I'm talking about? "About Time" is a film about a man named Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson). When he turns 21, his father (Bill Nighy) sits him down and tells him a secret that all the men in the family have the ability to travel in time. His father tells him to find a motive on how to generally use it, his own being to read books. Tim decides to use his gift to find a girlfriend to which his father replied, "Oof, massive." The film goes on to not only progress Tim's romantic life but his relationship with everyone around him and the use of his time traveling.
I don't like to categorize this as a film as a romantic comedy because the story is much bigger than two people in love. It demonstrates all 4 Greek words for love and here's how.
Eros
Romantic Love
This is what the marketing team used to get attention for the film. You can prove it with the trailers they released. This love, according to Lewis, is a romantic and almost sexual love. It's the love that Tim is seeking to gain. They are best friends and partners in how they do life, but they have very strong attractions to one another physically and emotionally.
Philia
Brotherly Love
A love between friends! In "About Time," Tim has his share of friendships but he has some kind of love/hate relationship with his flatmate and playwright Harry. Well, it's more like Harry hates everyone, but Tim likes him enough to consider him for best man at his wedding. They will never say "I love you" to one another, but they support each other in the big moments.
Storge
Affectionate Love
This love comes from familiarity like that of a family. Much like the love the Lake family shows their Uncle Desmond. He's unique in his thinking and way of life, however the Lake family never judges or mocks him. It's most shown when Uncle Desmond is told that he is loved by Tim's father.
Your father is not feeling so well. Cancer it is. At your wedding he said he loved me. That was the best day of my life. So this is probably the worst.
Agape
Sacrificial Love
This love is often associated with being known as the "Godly Love." This is the love that makes the film different, I think. Tim is faced time and time again to make difficult sacrifices for his friends and family but the biggest sacrifice is to say goodbye to his father in the past to look to the future with his wife and children. He's sacrificing his desire to have more time with his father who's passed away, to attempt having a third child with his wife, who really wants it. Their goodbye is a beautiful and bittersweet moment between father and son that made me weep like a baby.
There is more to this film than romance; this love story includes a lot of valuable lessons about love, life, and time we can all learn.
