The Map of Tiny Perfect Things 2021

Teenager Mark has been trapped in an endless time loop, where he gradually hones his skills to assist others around him. His focus intensifies when he develops a crush on a girl and dedicates himself to preventing the day’s inevitable mishaps. However, one fateful day, he observes another girl, Margaret, deftly intervene in a situation he had intended to thwart. Intrigued, Mark tracks her down and discovers she, too, is ensnared in the same loop.

As they spend more time together, sharing their dreams and personal histories, Mark becomes increasingly obsessed with unraveling the mystery of the time loop. Yet, he soon realizes that Margaret seems reluctant to escape; each evening she departs after receiving a text from a medical facility, hinting at a deeper secret. They embark on a quest to find “moments of perfect beauty” throughout the day, believing that discovering these could potentially break the cycle. Mark presents a map he has created of these significant moments, but when he makes a romantic advance, Margaret clarifies that she only sees him as a friend.

Their day-to-day interactions reveal more than just a budding friendship. After a heated confrontation with his father over his aspirations for art school, Mark learns that his father, a once aspiring writer, was not pursuing his dream voluntarily—he was let go and too ashamed to admit it. Motivated to help those around him, Mark refocuses his efforts on his family and friends, attending Emma’s soccer matches and reconciling with his father.

However, a skateboard accident lands him in the hospital, where he encounters Margaret during a visit to her ailing mother. It dawns on him that the narrative does not revolve around him; rather, it’s Margaret who holds the key to this tale. Margaret uncovers her own family’s struggles as she tracks down her consistently missing dog, finds solace in Mark’s friend Henry, and has an epiphany amidst a virtual game they had both engaged in. She constructs a three-dimensional model representing the perfect moments, revealing a four-dimensional figure with a single missing vertex. She deduces that the final event will unfold at 7:00 PM by the pool—where their paths first crossed.

In a poignant moment, Margaret confesses to Mark that she wields control over the time loop: this day marks her mother’s last, and she yearns to cling to it indefinitely. Yet, she also realizes that Mark’s presence in the loop serves a purpose—allowing her the chance to let go. Their relationship culminates in a heartfelt kiss.

That midnight, as rain begins to fall—symbolizing the end of the loop—Margaret visits her mother one last time. Together, she and Mark await the rainfall, which will not only shatter the time loop but also reunite them with the elusive missing dog by morning.