I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for any story that features a time loop. From the standard bearer Groundhog Day to more recent takes like Happy Death Day or Russian Doll to the repeated use of the trope in sci-fi franchises like Star Trek and Doctor Who, there’s a certain appeal to the idea of a protagonist reliving their lives in a loop while trying to figure their way out of it. Nicholas Giuricich’s Spark, which recently had its world premiere at Toronto’s Inside Out Film Festival, is the latest in a long line of such time loop films.
Spark follows a day in the life (or, rather, a day in the life ad nauseam) of its protagonist Aaron, a hopeless romantic who hasn’t had much luck in the romance department. All that starts to change once he meets Trevor, an intriguing stranger he’s paired up with for a birthday party scavenger hunt. While Trevor at first seems fairly distant and aloof, there is a hint of interest, which is enough for Aaron to use the time loop to his advantage, learning as much as he can about Aaron’s interests over time in order to become more appealing. As these time loop things go, it seems relatively low stakes, but then again, maybe trying to find love and build something up from just a spark is the most important thing. It certainly seems that way in Aaron’s case.
As the day repeats itself over and over, Aaron learns more about both Trevor and himself as the story evolves from what appears to be a straightforward romcom into something darker and more complex. And in telling that story, writer/director Giuricich touches on universal themes such as grief, regret, intimacy, trying to find yourself, and the mistakes one makes along that path.
