The Tomorrow Man (2019)

Before we start the movie review, here's a brief lesson in human psychology.

Erik Erikson proposed a theory of psychosocial development, where each stage of our life corresponds with different conflicts that we strive to resolve. When we are infants, for instance, our conflict is very basic: Trust Vs. Mistrust. In this stage, we learn whether or not our caregivers will be there for us to meet our needs...can "the world" be trusted, or not? In the last/final stage of his theory, which occurs in our twilight years (65+), Erikson proposed we go through "Integrity Vs. Despair." In this stage, one strives to figure out if they have led a fruitful, meaningful life (or "despair" sets in if that person has not).

Okay, I hope that was somewhat informative.

The main character in The Tomorrow Man is Ed Hemsler (John Lithgow), a man who claims he is on the "wrong side of sixty,” and appears to be struggling with the same late-stage existential dilemma mentioned by Erikson. Ed lives a seemingly lonely life, exchanging online conspiracy theories under the moniker "CaptainReality." Ed believes that the world is coming to an end and is preparing for its eventual demise by building a survival shelter and gathering supplies to live in the post-apocalyptic world.

Although Ed's intentions are good, he often finds himself living for tomorrow (hence the title of the movie), which has alienated him from his family. Ed's life of solitude takes a turn for the better when he meets another --equally quirky-- senior citizen named Ronnie (Blythe Danner) at the grocery store while stocking up on his survival supplies. He sees Ronnie purchasing supplies with such frequency at the local store that he thinks he has found himself an ally, another person who knows the apocalypse is coming. Oh, joy! There is someone for everyone, right? The quickly blossoming love interest between these two flawed characters reminded me a lot of Adam Sandler's love connection in Punch Drunk Love (sans the uncontrollable fits of rage).

The film starts off with a quote that resonated in my head throughout the film; in an opening-scene phone call with his son, Ed says, "What really matters, all that's gonna matter, is what you do now."

So, despite Ed's struggle to find meaning in his life ("Integrity"), will his love connection with Ronnie be enough to prevent him from falling into the trap of "Despair?" This film is certainly worth the journey to find out.

Written and directed by Noble Jones, this is his debut feature-length film. I certainly welcomed his story-telling, mood, and I look forward to more work from Mr. Jones.