Time travels to reach Mexico's theaters

BY MARIA GALLUCCI
The News
Aug. 20, 2009

When the romantic drama "The Time Traveler's Wife" hits Mexico's theaters this weekend, viewers should carry in more than just popcorn. A healthy suspension of disbelief, it seems, will go a long way.

The film, called "Te Amaré Por Siempre" in its Spanish title, is based on the 2004 bestselling novel by U.S. author Audrey Niffenegger. The PG-13 movie will premiere in Mexico on Friday, just a week behind its U.S. release.

"Time Traveler," directed by Robert Schwentke and set in Chicago, can be a heart-wrenching love story or a far-too-bizarre flick, depending on the viewer's disposition. Although some film critics have labeled the movie creepy and awkward, if viewers accept the film's unlikely circumstances from the outset, they might find it charming, bittersweet and well worth its 107-minute time span.

Eric Bana, of "Star Trek" and "Munich" fame, plays the part of Henry, a man burdened with a genetic anomaly that distorts his life's trajectory. Spontaneously thrusting forwards and backwards throughout time, Henry lives his life in a series of disjointed events separated by a few days or by many years.

In each transition, his skin fades until his body completely melts away, his pile of cloths sagging into a lump on the floor - which means plenty of discreet cheek shots as he scavenges for clothes in whichever place he's landed.

Henry, in fact, is hiding naked in the bushes when he first meets Clare, who is six years old at the time. He returns to visit her throughout her young life, and they eventually meet in the present when the girl is twenty-two; they marry several years later.

Rachel McAdams, best known for her roles in "The Notebook" and "Wedding Crashers," plays an adult Clare, a strong-willed but often melancholy character who has loved Henry since their first encounter in the meadow. Although Henry's time travels promise to separate the lovers without warning, she is determined to build a life and family with him. She desperately strives for their togetherness despite his extended absences and tragic circumstances.

The suspension of disbelief comes into play when examining the characters' dynamics over time. Shouldn't the childhood Clare feel haunted by this mysterious 36-year-old man who keeps appearing in her backyard? Why do Henry's family and friends so wholeheartedly accept his condition? How is this film too weird to be believable, but not weird enough to be science fiction?

However, discarding any conflictive pondering, "Time Traveler" still manages to be a charming love story that at times is light-hearted and at times is a tearjerker.