Wholesome repetition

What would you do with endless time?

In The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, writer Lev Grossman has brought fresh perspective to the time-loop genre, creating a sweet and inspiring film, almost an improvement on the original Groundhog Day.

Teenager Mark (Kyle Allen) is repeating the same day seemingly in perpetuity. The movie opens with Mark already well versed in the events of this 24-hour cycle: He’s figured out he can use this time for good and daily helps folks in things big and small, from winning the lottery to avoiding embarrassing wardrobe snafus.

But no matter what, each day resets at 7 a.m.—until the day he discovers Margaret (Kathryn Newton) is also caught in the loop. “So, what have you been up to, with infinite time?” seems like a great opening for a chat with a fellow time prisoner.

But Margaret is hiding the key for them to escape the bondage of the endless day. Refreshingly, the answer to their dilemma is not sleeping together, defeating enemy troops, or something similarly trite.

Regrettably, characters do use casual blasphemy. Otherwise, the film, streaming on Amazon Prime, is a delight for teens and adults.