One More Time, airing on Netflix from today, promises a unique take on the time-honored genre of time travel. It may sound like Groundhog Day, but it has a fresh twist.
The plot follows the life of Amelia, a 40-year-old woman who is struggling to make ends meet with her low-paying job. On her birthday, she gets fired, adding insult to injury. While returning home, she thinks about how much easier her life would be if she could go back to being 18 again, full of dreams and without a care in the world. Then she is hit by a truck and wakes up on her 18th birthday, transported back in time.
Amelia gets the opportunity to relive her youth and make her life the perfect vision of what she had intended it to be. However, she soon realises that she is stuck in a time loop and is destined to relive the same day over and over again.
As she tries to figure out what she needs to fix to leave the past behind and return to the present day, she discovers that every action has consequences. The film follows her journey as she navigates the time loop and tries to break free.
While the premise has been explored countless times in the history of cinema, One More Time stands apart from them as it focuses on the emotional aspect of Amelia’s life rather than the sci-fi component of the scenario.
The cast of the Swedish movie is stellar: the leading actress, Hedda Stiernstedt, who portrays Amelia, is known for her work in The Restaurant, Young Sophie Bell, Black Lake, Pink Cloud Syndrome, and Beforeigners. Meanwhile, Vanna Rosenberg and Per Fritzell play Amelia’s mother and father, respectively. Rosenberg is best recognised for High Rise Life – Movie and Kvarteret Skatan, while Fritzell has been featured in various well-known Swedish TV shows such as Svensk Humor, Tornado, and Macken.
Jonathan Etzler, who directed Beartown, Swimmer, and Get Ready with Me, directs One More Time. The script is written by Sofie Forsman and Tove Forsman, who previously collaborated on the critically acclaimed LGBTQ series Young Royals, with Mikael Ljung credited with the story idea. The music for the film is composed by Adam Norden, who has worked on The Restaurant, Zozo, Beck, and Shed No Tears. The cinematography is handled by Nea Asphall, known for her work on Black Mirror, We Are the Best! and Midsommar.