Our Times Review: Nuestros Tiempos is a Mexican sci-fi romantic film, directed and written by Chava Cartas. The movie stars Lucero as Nora, and Benny Ibarra as Héctor, alongside Renata Vaca, Ofelia Medina, Lore Graniewicz, and Alejandro Ávila in the supporting cast. It has a runtime of 1 hour and 35 minutes and covers love, time travel, and role play for women in society.
Our Times Review
Set in 1966, the film introduces us to Nora and Héctor, a married couple and science partners in love, working on a mystery time machine. They live in a time when gender roles are extremely traditional, but Nora has bigger dreams. When they are finally ready to test the machine, they are going to 15 minutes into the future. But something goes awry. They end up in the year 2025 — nearly six decades in the future.
This abrupt plunge into contemporary life is where Our Times on Netflix diverges from science fiction to transform into an emotional drama. Now trapped in a world they do not know, Nora and Héctor have to get used to a world that’s evolved in more than one sense. While Nora is stunned at how much women have changed — in their careers, in their confidence, in their freedom — the man is perplexed. His and her love is tested not by distance but by time. Will this adventure bring them closer, or tear them apart?
I have to say, I found the concept of the Our Times movie very interesting. Time travel in movies is all about saving the world or changing the past. But here, it is used in a more personal and emotional way — to show how relationships evolve as the world around them does. I have to say, I did love the initial stages of Nora and Héctor’s chemistry. Their romance was genuine and warm. The film does a wonderful job of showing just how much they connect, even down to their little fight and parties.
The standout moment for me was Nora’s subtle evolution. In 1966, she was an intelligent woman stuck in a culture that exhorts her to be a dutiful wife above all else. But in 2025, she starts to realise that she can do better, and the movie does her justice. I could identify with her process, especially when she realises that love is not sufficient if one is preventing the other from being all they can be, even though they do not know it.
But Netflix’s Our Times does have its flaws. The idea is sound and the message is powerful, but the implementation is lopsided. The film tries to combine romance, science fiction, social commentary, and even mundane humour, but it doesn’t necessarily work. Sometimes, it’s trying to be deep and meaningful, and then the magic disappears. Something implausible or bewildering happens. Like, how are they moving around the city without money, without an ID, and without help? These are petty grievances, but they make it harder to stay completely caught up in the story.
Also Read: K.O. Review: Familiar Underdog Plot Wrapped in Gritty, Realistic Action
Also, the second half loses the momentum the film created during the first half. Nora’s narrative keeps going forward, though Héctor’s responses are too foregone. His unwillingness to accept the independence of Nora is believable, but the film never quite gets into it that much. There is potential here to demonstrate genuine emotional development, but only touched upon, not even elaborated.
Visually, the Mexican movie Our Times was closer to a TV movie than to a pricey-budget film. That particularly didn’t annoy me, but some colour grading was bizarre. The creation of the time machine was innovative, if not overly scientific, so I couldn’t help but wonder whether it was meant to be more of a symbol than a real invention. Either way, I did like the effort, though it didn’t quite pan out.
Talking about the performance, it was brilliant. Lucero does bring Nora to life with quiet strength and poise, and Benny Ibarra does give Héctor a sincerity that makes his internal struggle more believable. The rest of the cast also does a good job with their minimal screen time. Even when the script doesn’t serve them, the actors bring the emotion with integrity.
Mexican movie Our Times Review: Summing Up
Overall, I didn’t hate the movie, but it lacked the punch I’d been anticipating. It’s a film that tries to do something different and original, even if it doesn’t quite succeed. It was hurried, as if the movie had a point to make and didn’t feel like wasting any time. I think there was space to go further, to leave the audience to struggle with the emotional depth of the film. But the conclusion is a soft landing when it could have been an incendiary moment of self-reflection.
Our Times 2025 is now streaming on Netflix.
