What is Harriet trying to achieve?
The film kicks off with Harriet playing a record on her record player, which somehow transports her to a different timeline. She ends up in a car with Max, begging him to take the next right to avoid an inevitable accident. Unfortunately, Max ignores her and gets into a fatal accident. It seems Harriet has a unique ability to travel back in time using music as a gateway. She’s determined to save her boyfriend, Max, but despite her numerous attempts, she hasn’t succeeded yet.
In the present, we see that Harriet is a quiet woman who regularly attends a support group for people who’ve lost a loved one. It’s been two years, but she hasn’t opened up to the group at all. She always has her headphones on to prevent herself from accidentally traveling to the past when she doesn’t want to. In one instance, we see her accidentally traveling back in time after hearing a familiar tune on the radio of the guy whose car she bumped into in traffic.
Harriet’s friend Morris knows all about her time-traveling adventures and her mission to save Max. He wants her to be happy but also thinks she should move on and stop dwelling on the past. Harriet, though, is determined and ready to listen to every record ever made if it helps her save Max. But how? To save Max, Harriet needs to somehow convince him to turn right before the car crash that kills him.
These trips to the past also let Harriet spend time with Max, making her feel like he’s still with her. She often goes back to the time when they first met at an EDM festival to relive that joy. She also revisits the day they spent on the beach. Even though these moments are temporary, they give her the comfort she needs.
What happens between Harriet & David?
David joins Harriet’s support group and, like her, prefers to listen rather than share his own pain. He quickly develops a fondness for Harriet, and they even decide to share custody of a limited edition Roxy Record. They start meeting at coffee houses to swap records, and during one of these meetings, David asks Harriet why she always wears headphones, and Harriet tells him it’s because of a medical condition.
David, like Harriet, has also lost someone close to him: his parents. For David, music is his way of dealing with the pain and remembering them. During their second meeting, Harriet takes off her headphones in an attempt to have a conversation with David, but she accidentally travels back in time again. Scared, she runs off without explaining. Harriet likes David, but she feels guilty as if she’s being unfaithful to Max whenever she’s with him.
However, Moris believes you can’t be unfaithful to someone who’s no longer alive. Morris is doing his best friend duty, pushing Harriet to move forward, but she’s stuck in rewind, wishing she could change the past. Despite her efforts, Harriet can’t shake thoughts of David. They’re practically joined at the hip now, and whenever she’s with him, Max fades into the background.
As things progress, David notices Harriet having sort of a stroke, leaving her no choice but to spill the beans. Harriet explains that certain songs transport her consciousness to the past, where she tries to save her late boyfriend. Once the music stops, she snaps back to reality. While David empathizes with Harriet, he’s also troubled by her fixation on the past instead of moving forward. He decides to step back, asking Harriet to take a breather and sort things out. At this juncture, David doesn’t believe that Harriet can really travel through time.
Determined not to lose David, Harriet decides to continue their relationship. David takes her to his shop, where Harriet realizes it’s the same place Max visited before his accident. She discovers a record that was playing on the day Max died, which she can use to travel back in time and save him.
After Harriet travels back and proves her ability to David, he asks Harriet to take him to the past so he can see his parents again. David misses his parents and wishes he could tell them how much he loves them one final time. Sadly, David can’t time travel like Harriet, so this remains a wish unfulfilled.
Does Harriet save Max’s life?
During an outing, Harriet hits her head, travels back in time, and finally figures out how to save Max’s life. The catch is that for Max to survive, Harriet must let him go. The tough part is, that if she goes through with it, everything in the future will change, including her crossing paths with David. It’s a heavy burden, but for the sake of everyone, Harriet decides to do what’s necessary. She travels back to when she first met Max at the music festival, but this time, she doesn’t follow him.
This small change alters everything, and since Harriet and Max never become a couple, Max never dies. Without Max’s death, Harriet never attended the support group where she met David. But towards the end, something unexpected happens. Harriet bumps into David at the music festival, and we get the feeling that their love story might just be starting again.
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