I Love You Too Much

Directed by Jack Davies

2026

Door Stop Films

The repeating day formula is the groundwork (hog?) set-up for a new local short made in Leicester which explores the attempts to prevent a deathly accident.

We open on a couple - Alisha (Madeleine Sanderson) and Nick (Max Newland) - waking up in the morning in bed. Despite their hopes of spending some more loving time together, they have to split up when Nick finds he’s late for work.

As they say goodbye at the door, Nick slips and bangs his head on the road outside their home leaving him bloody and unconscious, whilst a silent figure in a mask and coat stands nearby. But after collecting a random liquid, the stranger touches Alisha and there’s a repeated sequence of their goodbye again and again.

No matter what Alisha does, she’s unable to stop events occurring and her frustration increases as she experiences heartbreak multiple times.

The director says one of the influences is 2021’s Groundhog Day-style comedy Palm Springs (our review) and you can clearly see the parallels. It’s also reminiscent of Happy Death Day with its focus on the prevention of a morbid act. There’s also hints of Time Crimes (2007) and Triangle (2009) with their mysteriously masked characters involved in complex time plots.

The production team have set themself a tough task given this plethora of similar films and comparisons are inevitable. Sadly, those films have a much tighter narrative and clearer picture of events which is essential for time-looping plots. Combined with the general editing, which at times is experimental and abstract, it unfortunately adds another layer of confusion to an already muddling story.

However, the biggest area for technical improvement would be sound editing. All the aspects are there but it definitely could be sharpened with another pass in the studio. There’s an unfortunate feel of “on camera” audio to the film. A bit more compression, checking of audio-levels and mixing would add a more professional polish.

Filmmaker Jack Davis was previously the cinematographer on local short Meta Mum (review) as well as directing his own short The Perfect Stranger (review) so is definitely moving on as a filmmaker by stretching his cinematic horizons.

And I Love You Too Much is another ambitious short from the up and coming director. Yet with the film’s high-concept ideas comes an unfortunate low budget production. Admirably challenging, it doesn’t quite achieve what it sets out to and I don't doubt the filmmaker will take another solid run at an idea, but with a different outcome next time.

★★½

2.5 / 5

Michael Sales

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