Exit Strategy

The science-fiction idea of a time loop has been widely explored, from the classic "Groundhog Day" to more serious flicks. Often, this type of film is, inevitably, repetitive. This short movie, on the other hand, manages to convey the repetition with well-written narration and adequate use of flashbacks.

The story is compelling and goes beyond your typical sci-fi thriller. The screenplay is clever and manages to juggle the main story, human aspects and a bit of humour. The characters are pretty well-described, so the audience can be entertained both by the series of the events and by the relationship between the two brothers. Acting and editing are, on the whole, solid.

When this ended, my mouth sagged open and then the words "I get it" came out, helplessly. Over and over, I said "I get it".

In dozens of ways I've been thwarted by an endless succession of new and uinpredictable problems in helping my sick brother. Like an automaton, I've been fixing one problem after another, focusing on minutiae, dreading the next piece of bad news. "Exit Strategy" taught me to smell the roses along the way. I'm very grateful to the writers and actors of this excellent allegory for all we try to do to prevent death when, as someone once put it, life is what happens when you're making other plans.

We've seen many, many different takes on the time-loop story, but this short spares us the endless repetitions and changes the ending you may have come to expect. Simply wonderful performances, transparent editing, and clever all around. Hope to see something in the theatre from this writer/director one day.

Exit Strategy is a wholly original take on time travel, taking a traditional science fiction trope and embedding it with equal parts humor and heart. Very well done.

If you don't watch it more than once (maybe even twice), I will be surprised. Have it. :-)