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‘Our Times‘ on netflix Offers a Fresh Take on Time Travel and Gender Dynamics
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The mexican film cleverly inverts the genre’s tropes by sending its protagonists to the future, prompting a reflection on personal growth and evolving relationships.
Time travel narratives frequently enough revolve around characters attempting to alter past events to avert present-day tragedies, as seen in films like The Flash, Avengers: Endgame, and 2002’s The Time Machine. However, the charming comedy Our Times, now available on Netflix, subverts this trope by transporting its characters to the future, emphasizing how they adapt to the present. This innovative approach reframes the genre’s focus on personal development, though a more thorough exploration of its central theme of gender equality could have enhanced the film.
A Time-Traveling Couple Confronts Modern Gender Roles
Lucero stars as Nora Esquivel,a physics professor in 1966 Mexico who is working alongside her husband,Héctor (Benny Ibarra),to build a time machine. While Héctor considers her an equal partner,the university faculty perceives her as merely his assistant.During a dinner with the dean,it becomes evident that he values Nora’s culinary skills more than her scientific insights,a slight that Héctor doesn’t challenge for fear of jeopardizing their funding.
This dynamic mirrors past instances where women’s contributions to science were marginalized. Rosalind Franklin’s work was crucial to the discovery of DNA, yet she was excluded from the Nobel Prize awarded to James Watson and Francis Crick. Similarly, chien-Shiung Wu played a vital role in the manhattan Project but was not recognized when her male colleagues received a 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics for their collaborative research. Mileva Marić, Albert Einstein’s wife, was also a physicist and mathematician, and some speculate she contributed to his theories. The CW’s time travel series Legends of tomorrow even dedicated an episode to Marić’s story, bending their own rules to ensure she received proper credit.
Our Times,penned by writers Juan carlos Garzón and angélica Gudiño,adopts a similar viewpoint. When the Esquivels inadvertently find themselves in 2025, they seek assistance from Julia (played by Carolina Villamil in 1966 and Ofelia Medina in 2025), a former student of nora’s who has become the university dean.Julia eagerly offers her support and is enthusiastic about seeing Nora finally receive the recognition she deserves.
Lucero and Ibarra deliver endearing performances as they navigate the unfamiliar modern landscape, grappling with contemporary technology and fashion trends.Their amazement at the marvels of the internet and electric toothbrushes is overshadowed by their growing awareness of the shifting gender and sexual norms.Their experience is almost a reverse of the awakening experienced by Ken and Barbie in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, with Héctor finding himself overshadowed by Nora’s talents.
The Film’s Strengths and Missed Opportunities
However, Our Times lacks the incisive critique of traditional gender roles found in Barbie, which argues that these roles are restrictive for everyone. While Lucero and Ibarra share a palpable chemistry, director Chava Cartas captures it more effectively in intimate moments, such as when they intertwine their hands before challenging Einstein’s theories, than in elaborate displays of affection like dance sequences or using the periodic table to spell out “I love you.”
Photo: Netflix
This makes it somewhat tough to accept the rapid deterioration of their marriage, as Héctor yearns for the familiar dynamics of the past, while Nora is drawn to the possibilities of her life in the present. This creates a painful divide in their or else supportive relationship, as Héctor struggles with the realization that his qualities as a husband and scientist in 1966 may no longer suffice in 2025.
In an era where concerns are rising about men falling behind women in education and career advancement, Our Times clearly champions Nora and Julia as symbols of the increased opportunities for women in STEM fields in the 2020s, contrasting it with the historical tendency to overlook them in favor of less-qualified men. The writers could have further explored Héctor’s experience with these feelings of inadequacy. Instead, his arc is relegated to an awkward scene at an International Women’s Day panel and a drunken social media outburst.
Similarly, the film could have benefited from portraying the 2020s characters reacting with greater disapproval to Héctor’s outdated views on women’s roles, much like their reaction to his attempt to smoke indoors. Conversely, a few lines from one of the supportive male scientists recruited by Julia could have eased Héctor’s anxieties, preventing him from appearing so unsympathetic and addressing the contemporary concern about the decline of male friendships.
Time Travel as a Metaphor for Personal Growth
Like The time Traveler’s Wife and About Time, Our Time prioritizes the impact of time travel on its protagonists’ romantic lives over the mechanics of time travel itself. The script’s explanation of their time machine being powered by tachyons and wormholes serves primarily as a plot device to delay their return to 1966 and create a deadline for their decision.Moreover,the film never explores the consequences of revealing their scientific breakthrough to people in the present,nor does it delve into their initial motivations for time travel beyond seeking recognition.
Time Travel in Fiction
Time travel has long been a popular theme in fiction,allowing writers to explore alternate histories,potential futures,and the consequences of altering the past. From H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine to modern blockbusters, the concept continues to captivate audiences.
- Paradoxes: Stories often grapple with paradoxes,such as the grandfather paradox,where preventing your own birth creates a logical contradiction.
- Alternate Timelines: Time travel can create branching timelines, leading to vastly different versions of reality.
- Personal growth: Characters frequently enough use time travel to confront their past mistakes and make better choices.
