At first, I could not quite explain why I was so drawn to this movie. I liked it so much after my first viewing that I immediately borrowed its DVD so I can watch it over again. After my succeeding viewings (I watched it at least five times), I began to slowly realize why this film is just simply captivating. With its seemingly simple storyline of a girl trying to save her boyfriend's life, this film is actually all about life and its never-ending, relentless race against time.
Human beings seem to be creatures of time. Everything we do is inevitably entirely connected with how much time we have. In fact, we all wear watches to keep track of time. I myself admit that there are lots of times I get too preoccupied with meeting deadlines that I tend to lose sight of where my life is heading. The film clearly wants to demonstrate this reality about time, that it can swallow us and makes us captives. This is illustrated in the first scene of the film. A peculiar-looking grandfather clock with a monstrous head opens its mouth and leads us, the viewers inside. The next scene flashes and we see several people walking blindly and aimlessly in a fast-paced manner in a seemingly cramped space. It is as if these people are looking for a way to escape the boundaries of time. Then, we see the supporting casts of the film just standing and gazing serenely in the midst of this faceless crowd. Simultaneously, a narrator is doing a voice-over and shares us his insights and questions about life: "Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?.In the end, isn't it always the same question, and always the same answer?" Perhaps this signifies that although we tend to be too caught up with our lives, it is also important to stop once in a while and ponder about the things that make up our lives. I think this also shows that in a sense, time does not only serve as the main antagonist of our lives but likewise, time also offers us the opportunity to reflect about our lives and in the process, helps us become better, more profound persons.
