How The New Film 'Palm Springs' (Ironically) Predicted The Future
Written in July 2020 for my personal pop culture blog
We’re coming up on 4 months of quarantine now. Doesn’t it feel kind of crazy to think about? We’ve all been living in this new normal for two months shy of half a year. For me, it’s definitely reached the point where the weeks blend together, and I’m starting to have to remind myself why I can’t just go out with friends or spend a day in San Francisco. So, Hulu’s new film Palm Springs couldn’t have come out at a better time.
In Palm Springs, Nyles (Andy Samberg) has a chance encounter with Sarah (Cristin Milioti) at the wedding of Sarah’s sister in the titular resort town. After an almost-hook-up, he accidentally drags her into his never-ending time loop, where he must relive the wedding day over and over again.
The film itself is the perfect mashup of sci-fi nerdiness and funny romantic comedy. (Two of my favorite genres!) Samberg and Milioti’s chemistry pairs well with the well-paced and witty script. It’s a charismatic film that feels predictable, but after the first 20 minutes, you come to realize that it really isn’t. (Plus, the movie truly proves how much the world needs an Andy Samberg/JK Simmons buddy cop movie.)
The best movies are ones that can be looked at from multiple different viewpoints and interpreted in different ways that make the most sense to the person watching. Palm Springs is that kind of movie. It explores the significant bond of marriage, the dark depths of depression, and living life with a “fuck it” attitude. In a way, the different kinds of days Nyles and Sarah live in this time loop life are a metaphor for these many different themes. But in the time of a global pandemic, you can’t help but think of it through the lens of just that.
On the ground level, Palm Springs represents what our current pandemic lifestyles really are. Every day feels as if we are all stuck in a time loop of bad news and repetitive motions. There’s nothing new to experience or explore, no feeling of “something to look forward to.” It’s all just the same.
Similar to this, Nyles goes through the motions of his new everyday routine. Every person does the exact same thing, and so does he. Sarah briefly interrupts that, only to eventually fall into somewhat of a routine herself. When she decides that she must find a way out, she tries different things to break the system and escape the repetition of sameness (as many are trying to do as we now realize that this quarantine lifestyle might just be the new normal,) but fails to.
Looking deeper, the film mirrors the many emotions and behaviors that have come up from the pandemic’s necessary self-isolation. Many are experiencing common symptoms of depression, something Nyles is all too familiar with. Every “day,” Nyles wakes up in bed and watches his girlfriend get ready for the wedding, a frown on his face. He has gotten comfortable with this feeling of loneliness, despite being surrounded by many people. No one knows what he is going through, and no one understands what he is feeling, resulting in an immense weight on his heart and conformant to what his life has become. He longs for someone to simply recognize what he is going through, but knows that will never happen. Until Sarah, the only person who does is JK Simmons’ Roy, whose reaction to being stuck in the loop is not compassion, but rather violent revenge. (Another way certain Americans are reacting to this pandemic.)
Palm Springs also explores the existentialism of life in repetition. How do you do something with your life when there’s literally nothing exciting to do? Nyles’ and Sarah’s daily events never change while stuck in the time loop. So, they must find a way to make their lives and each repetition exciting, whether that’s trying different drugs, having sex with different people, or simply choreographing a two-person flash mob. But even still, those things all get boring. The repetition causes life to no longer have meaning because there is no way for them to progress. Nyles and Sarah must attempt to accept that to find some comfort in living in the time loop. It’s suffocating and depressing, but it’s how Nyles was able to accept the life he has been subjected to living for so long. Philosophy nerds (or simply my fellow AP Literature classmates) will recognize these nihilistic attitudes.
I wouldn’t say we have necessarily subjected ourselves to an existential way of living as a result of the pandemic. But now, every person must explore and identify how they can do something with their quarantine life. For some, that might be doing just what Nyles and Sarah did, finding new and innovative things to do to keep each day interesting. But also like them, eventually you’ll run out of ideas. On the other hand, you can skip straight to the acceptance of a meaningless life for the time being and choose to do nothing. (Yes, meaning eat carbs, watch TV, and for some, drink alcohol all day--which Nyles eventually ends up doing. He can’t die from alcohol poisoning!) If only life were a movie and each individual could learn PhD-level science to find a way to get out of this on their own. But alas, it’s up to the real professionals to do that for us.
What is most unique about Palm Springs compared to other “time loop films” is that it directly examines what a repetitive, consequence-free life would be like if you could do it with another person. Oftentimes, a film uses a time loop as a means of teaching a character a lesson. The day keeps repeating until they can redeem themself. But Palm Springs takes a different angle. What if a time loop wasn’t as lonely as it’s thought to be? Nyles wakes up every day alone in the time loop with a frown on his face. But suddenly, with Sarah along for the ride, he now has someone to experience it with. Once Nyles starts waking up every day knowing Sarah will be beside him for the repeat day, he starts waking up with a smile.
The quarantine resulting from this pandemic can be used as a time to reset and reconnect not just with the people who you may live with, but others who you don’t normally have the time to catch up with. It can even be used as a time to reconnect with yourself. Nyles and Sarah are not only forced to confront each other and their feelings for each other, but also their feelings about themselves. How do they feel about the lives they took for granted before they got stuck in the time loop? Personally, quarantine has been a big opportunity to slow down and take some time to understand the feelings I usually repress and push down. I hope that maybe whoever is reading this can do the same.
Seeing as how Groundhog Day arguably built and defined the “time loop” film, it’s obvious that Palm Springs will be compared to and defined in terms of the classic film. So, seeing as how I do not like Groundhog Day (a misogynistic film where the man manipulates and uses the woman for his self-redemption), this is the best situation for me. If any film were to redefine the “time loop” film and allow it to find a place in modern culture, Palm Springs is just the film to do that. If you're looking for a film that uses the time loop plotline as a means for existential exploration of human existence (Yes, I know that’s a very specific desire, but it’s much more interesting than misogyny!), look no further than Palm Springs. It’s one of the few films I could watch again...and again...and again….
