Time loops are one of my favorite sci-fi subgenres, so I was delighted to see that Japanese director Junta Yamaguchi was following up his inventive 2020 sci-fi comedy “Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes” with a time-loop movie that takes a similar low-fi approach. I was even more delighted when I first watched Yamaguchi’s “River” earlier this year, marveling at the creativity that he and screenwriter Makoto Ueda bring to such a simple premise.
If you’re a fan of movies like “Palm Springs,” “Happy Death Day” and original time-loop classic “Groundhog Day,” then you’ll find plenty to enjoy in “River.” The loop here is much shorter than in those other movies, at just two minutes long, and the entire cast of characters is caught in it together. That changes up the perspective from the mostly lone loopers that populate the subgenre, and it gives “River” an endearing sense of solidarity as the characters work together to figure out what’s going on.
I was just as impressed with “River” when I watched it again on Prime Video, and it’s the kind of cozy, playful movie that is ideal to revisit. If you aren’t familiar with this hidden sci-fi gem, it’s a breezy way to spend less than 90 minutes, and it deserves a place at the top of your watchlist.
What is ‘River’ about?
The movie’s time loop takes hold at a rustic inn in the rural Japanese village of Kibune, where the staff is busy tending to the needs of the guests. Main character Mikoto (Riko Fujitani) pauses for a moment next to the river that runs alongside the hotel, then hurries back inside to help a co-worker clean up a dining room. They engage in some small talk about their personal lives and a breaking news story, and Mikoto then suddenly finds herself standing beside the river again.
It doesn’t take long for everyone at the inn to determine that they’re caught in a two-minute loop, and they’re remarkably practical about the unexpected development. The first several iterations involve Mikoto and her co-workers placating the guests, dealing with the time loop in the same manner as they’d deal with any inconvenience, like a power outage or snowstorm. There’s plenty of dry comedy in watching the employees explain why one guest can never get the soap out of his hair and another pair of guests can never finish eating their rice.
As the loops continue, the characters attempt to work out a solution to their dilemma, while Mikoto also works through her romantic feelings for shy cook Taku (Yūki Torigoe). Each two-minute sequence is presented as a single unbroken take, but the technical proficiency never distracts from the storytelling. The eventual explanation is as upbeat and goofy as the preceding small-scale interpersonal drama.
Why you should stream ‘River’ on Prime Video
At first, it might seem like dozens of two-minute loops would get old, but “River” remains clever and engaging throughout its relatively brief running time. Yamaguchi does an excellent job of establishing the physical space of the inn, so it’s easy to understand where everyone is at the beginning of each loop and how much effort it takes for them to meet up each time when they need to. The simple running gag of characters having to climb the same stairs over and over is one of the movie’s most amusing bits.
While there’s lots of light comedy in “River,” the filmmakers also find room for heartfelt emotion, both in the central romance and in the existential crises of the supporting characters. As a writer, I sympathize with the blocked novelist who’s excited about the time loop because it means he doesn’t have to worry about his deadlines. There are multiple entertaining arcs like that as the movie goes on.
There’s a certain inherent optimism to time-loop movies, which are often about characters’ capacity for positive change, and “River” captures that as well. It’s a sweet, ingeniously constructed story about people making the best of a strange situation.
Stream “River” on Prime Video now
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