Immortality (or the ability to exist in eternity) is often a superpower that many people desire. But what if someone who attempts to die in many ways would still be alive and have to relive every day? First aired in 1993, the movie Groundhog Day focuses on a weather reporter, Phil Connors, who falls into the same course of events over and over each day as he broadcasts the Groundhog Day Festival at a small town in Pennsylvania.

In the movie, Phil asks his bowling friends what they would do if their daily routine repeated itself every day. One acquaintance responds that such repetition and routine are basically the sum and substance of his life. In a larger context, human life does seem repetitive and meaningless if one makes no effective use of it or makes no effort to do something different. In the movie, we see this with Phil’s life as he reacts to his recurring loop first with anger, then with indulgence. He uses the power to relive his days as a means to attract women and fulfill sexual desires, and weaves no significant meaning into his sense of individuality. 

“Some guys would look at this glass and they would say ‘that glass is half empty.’ Other guys would say ‘That glass is half full.’”

When Phil contemplates his irksome fate, his bowling buddy offers him this surprising view of contrasting perspectives. Phil’s destiny is something that he is unable to change, whether it means having to report about the Groundhog Day Festival every year, or getting caught in endless loops of the same obstacles day after day. Phil is angry about the way everything seems to go against his plan. His fixated mindset makes him even more upset about the collision that disrupts his world. The movie highlights flexibility in response to change, as Phil’s coworker Rita often talks about how she is able to find happiness even in the days that deviate from her expectations. This individuality that detaches from the mundane nature of life gives her meaning in life because she celebrates the uniqueness of her existence. 

Although Phil has the immortal ability to relive everything he does, an old man continues to die every day regardless of Phil’s attempts to save him. This allows him to realize that instead of focusing on things he cannot change, he should attend to things within his control. Near the end of the movie, Phil does some nice things for his community, such as saving a child who has fallen from a tree, helping to replace a flat tire, and saving an elderly man from choking. This solidly demonstrates his value to the community, and helps Phil to recognize the absurdity of his recurring day. Meanwhile, he has learned to accept such absurdity by using his special power in an altruistic way. 

This movie gives an excellent portrayal of existentialism, which embraces the idea that life has no meaning, but one can make their personal existence unique and meaningful by attaching their own significance to it. Ultimately, it is not one's fate that defines them, but it is their actions that matter; Accept, appreciate, and support what we have might be better than to live an immortal life.