The 5-Minute Scene That Eliminates The Need for Time Travel
By: Bertilla Niveda
Tags: Mindfulness, Time, Film, Happiness, Beyourself

Part One: Live A Day Normally

In this part, James asks Tim to just get on with his ordinary life. Tim does so and gets through his day just like anyone else.

Tim is a lawyer and works at a firm in London with his best friend Rupert. At the beginning of his day, we see Rupert get ripped apart by their boss in a tense meeting, while Tim watches, perplexed.

Tim then goes to a cafe to buy his lunch, where he mindlessly orders something as quickly as he can. He is clearly stressed and thinking about something else as he pays a beaming cashier who is brimming with politeness and cheer.

He then rushes off to court with Rupert, where the jury finds their client “Not guilty”. A wave of relief visibly sweeps over them, and Tim gives the client a half-smile and a nod, which is returned.

On his way home in the metro, he sits next to a man who is listening to music with earphones. The music is so loud that Tim can hear it, and it’s a spunky, upbeat song, but Tim is too tired to enjoy it. He’s exhausted and can’t wait to get home as he closes his eyes for a bit.

In bed at night, as Tim is ready to doze off, Mary asks him if he had a rough day. Tim replies that it was, after which they turn out the lights, and go to sleep.

Part Two: Go Back in Time and Relive the Day

“But then came part two of Dad’s plan. He told me to live every day again, almost exactly the same. The first time with all the tensions and worries that stopped me from noticing how sweet the world can be. But the second time, noticing.” — Tim Lake

We see him in the meeting at his law firm again. This time, he pulls faces at Rupert from across the table, to soften the blow. Rupert still gets yelled at by the boss, but he grins with Tim, who makes him feel better with simple antics.

Tim then goes to the same cafe, and orders takeaway again. This time, he actually interacts with the radiant cashier. They exchange genuine pleasantries, and Tim leaves with a smile.

Tim and Rupert rush to court again, but in the middle of running, Tim spins around and marvels at the magnificent interiors of the Royal Courts of Justice. He looks around hurriedly, but in wonder and joy, as they make it to the courtroom.

When the jury acquits their client, Tim breaks out in a bright smile and congratulates Rupert, who smiles too. He then turns to their client with a winning gesture, at which the relieved man grins. Tim and Rupert are delighted and share hugs with their client, laughing heartily.

On the way home, he sits next to the same subway passenger as before. This time, he can’t stop himself from enjoying the rock song. He has fun playing an imaginary electric guitar while mouthing the lyrics with gusto.

We then see Mary ask him “So, it wasn't such a bad day after all?”, to which Tim replies that he actually had a pretty good day. With twinkling eyes, she quips that she’s glad because she thought she might have to do something *wink wink* to cheer him up.

Tim realizes what she means and playfully exaggerates that he had a very, very bad day. He even says he got fired and that he killed a man, to which Mary agrees that it was indeed a “very bad day”, and that he does need some cheering up.

They then go to bed with a charmingly happy ending, if you get my drift.