Sid is a young Indian-American who is meeting his traditional parents out at a diner. He has something very important to tell them, but he's also scared of how they will react. But Sid has an unexpected ability to help him out during this delicate situation. He has a time machine, which he uses to reset the day to make sure that absolutely everything goes right during the meeting. But the more he uses it, the more he realizes that there is no perfect way of telling his parents, and avoiding a potentially devastating reaction to his revelation. Directed by Naman Gupta from a script co-written with Janki Parekh, this affecting sci-fi dramedy hooks viewers with an intriguing premise, of someone using time travel to finesse a particularly difficult communication and the potentially life-altering consequences it could entail. But at its heart, it's a surprisingly emotional and raw family story that looks deeply at the relationships and expectations between parents and their children, no matter how old they are or who they become. The storytelling unfurls its fascinating, amusing premise at the start, tracking Sid's increasing exasperation as he tries to tell his parents he has a boyfriend in a diner, only to experience mishaps like spilled coffee and obstacles like his mother's outsized reactions. Each one prompts Sid to hit the reset button on the time machine on his watch, only for each new instance to be met with a new wrinkle.
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Shot with a sharp eye and modern gleam, the camerawork and editing charts the tiny differences in each iteration of "the talk." Many of these moments have awkward humor, but the narrative lets go of both the sci-fi and humorous aspects of the story, wisely letting its main character's building emotional needs drive the action. Sid tells the truth and finally sits with the discomfort of their reactions. The film's entire cast truly shines in this section, in a raw, wrenching scene that captures not only Sid's truth, but his fears of disappointing his parents, who sacrificed much as U.S. immigrants so that Sid could flourish. The film's gift is that it not only honors Sid's perspective, and as Sid, actor Karan Soni reveals both Sid's adult independence and an inner child that still craves his parents' love and approval. It also allows for the fullness of his parents' experience as well, from the stunned quiet of his father to the furious anger of his mother, played by actor Sangeeta Agrawal in a sharp and courageous performance that isn't afraid of raw feeling. In many ways, Sid's greatest fear seems to be materializing before his eyes -- he may lose his mother over his revelation, and "Coming Out With the Help of a Time Machine" doesn't shirk or minimize that potential emotional devastation, or the very real prejudice and bigotry faced by Sid from his larger communities. But it also has a hopeful ending that points to a belief in the bonds of love between parents and children, made all the more heartwarming and poignant by the film's willingness to delve honestly and deeply into difficult sentiments and emotions.
