So, uh, how does one get a black hole in their body?
What it's about
Quantum physicist Zoya Lowe has only a week to live because of a black hole growing inside her chest. Luckily, she’s living in a time loop circling the last five days of her life, so when she meets gifted grad student Paula, they team up to save her life and unlock the mysteries of time travel.
The take
When you know that you’re dying, it’s quite lucky to be stuck in a time loop, which is what happens to Zoya Lowe in the science fiction drama Omni Loop. It plays out in a familiar way, where going through the loop means having multiple tries to figure out how to end the loop, and learning the lesson the loop has to offer, but unlike other time loop stories, the lead purposely triggers the time loop, in order to stave off death. It's an interesting addition, one that makes a well-worn, but understandable conclusion to let go and move on, but Omni Loop struggles to balance the comedy and the drama, muddling the film’s tone and being tame for a film primarily concerned about mortality.
What stands out
Ayo Edebiri and Mary-Louise Parker aren't bad together, but I feel like their relationship was a tad underwritten– I wish the characters weren't random strangers to each other.