Staying apart from your family may feel like a nightmare, especially if you are a child and someone close to you drifts away. We have phones to facetime our favorite person, but back in the days, that wasn’t an option. People had to write letters and wait for a response for days; sometimes, it was probably years before the answer came through the mail. Directed by Leon Joosen, “The Land Of Sometimes” is narrated by a Post Man, who talks about a family of four. Elise and Alfie are two siblings who stay with their father and mother. One day, Elise and Alfie’s father gets called for Maritime duties, leaving his family worried. Spoilers Ahead
What’s Wrong With Elise?
Elise and Alfie think their father will return before Christmas. Their mother also waits for her husband to return home, but the day never arrives. The Postman arrives with a letter that tells them how their Father’s tour has been extended; months go by and the family grows worried about the man. While the man’s family remains hopeful, the next letter states that the man is missing in action. This drives Elise crazy because she has been waiting to hear from her father for a long time. Her behavior slowly becomes irritating and as days go by, Elise starts getting on everyone’s nerves. She keeps throwing a fit, throwing things around in despair; when her mother tells her to organize the room on Christmas Eve, she gets mad at her.
What Makes Alfie Follow Elise?
Elise and Alfie are both lonely and no matter how much they fight, at the end of the day, they need each other, even if they are not ready to accept it. When their mother finds the hidden watch left by their father and hands it over, Alfie gets perplexed by the nature of it and doesn’t want to believe that such a watch can grant his wishes. When Elise falls asleep, her subconscious wishes activate the Wish Watch and an unknown man named the Wish Collector arrives. Elise is done living in a house without her father and she wants to feel happy; that’s why she accepts the Wish Collector’s proposal to go to a place called “The Land Of Sometimes.”
Why Does The Guardian Attack Elise?
The Guardian is a fearsome robot that stays inside a volcano. It has its share of bots that are dedicated to monitoring the territories. Magical creatures like the SpringDoncs, the River Slouch Sling, and The Lad With The Flying Feet are scared of The Guardian. That gigantic robot is behind Elise because it desperately wants The Wish Watch. Years ago, the Wish Collector had deprived him of the last of his six wishes and since then, it had carried a grudge for him. The Guardian is later revealed to be Mr. Smaller Than Small, who is secretly using the war machine to get out of the magical land and go home. While he does not want to harm Elise or anyone else on the island, his massive appearance scares everyone to death.
Why Does Alfie Wish For Elise To Go Away?
Elise desperately searches for happiness around her and once it’s her turn, the Wishmaking Watch makes a house full of fairies appear in front of her. While Alfie and Wish Collector fall behind, an excited Elise walks up the towers and meets Mediocris, who’s a fairy. She transforms Elise into a tiny tooth fairy like herself and lets her explore her castle that’s full of colors. However, poor Elise doesn’t realise that this is just a façade and Mediocris is actually trapping her in a web of lies. By the time she realises, Mediocris has frozen the Wish Collector with a spell. Although Elise manages to escape, Alfie gets upset because he finds it selfish for his sister to abandon him for her own wishes. Although Elise tries to explain, he is not ready to listen; Alfie makes a wish for her sister to go away and it’s granted within seconds, leaving the siblings separated.
Elise and Alfie Finally Understands The Value Of Family
While they are away from each other, both of them get scared and try to find a way to get back together. Alfie runs in an endless loop of stone walls that are full of doors; every door he opens leads to the same spot until a magical kite takes him inside a maze of houses. The houses, doors, and the talking walls prove that Alfie is so lonely that he is talking to inanimate objects. Elise is lost inside a forest and she is surrounded by trees that can talk. She thinks that a green slimy well is the well of wishes and tosses the souvenir in it that her father has once left. Elise comes across a slimy monster named Mrs. Blip, gets trapped by it and she goes through hell to get out of her lair. All this time, Elise has been talking to SpringDoncs, which is also an imaginary being that has kept her company from the beginning of her journey.
Alfie Saves Elise From Dying
After escaping from Mrs. Blip, Elise remains dazed for a moment before Alfie spends the last wish and urges the watch to bring her back to the foothills of the volcano. However, his wish seems to malfunction because the season changes to autumn; according to the rules of this island, it will dissolve when winter is there so Alfie rushes to find his sister, without caring about avalanches, crevices and that volcano that’s on the edge of eruption. By the time he reaches there, Elise appears to be inside the volcano and is hanging on to a ledge for her dear life. Even though the Wish Collector decides to hide in a cave, Alfie climbs inside the volcano and saves Elise with every bit of strength he has left.
Do Elise And Alfie Get Their Wishes Fulfilled?
After The Guardian reveals it’s true face and explains how he has been trapped in the Land Of Sometimes this entire time, Elise understands why he is so desperate. Mr. Smaller Than Small is a child, just like them, and one night, he was brought to this journey by the Wish Collector. Since Alfie’s wish has malfunctioned before, the Wish Collector is obligated to grant the siblings one last wish. Instead of going home, Elise wishes for Mr. Smaller Than Small’s freedom and the tiny man grows up to be a boy of their age. While The Land Of Sometimes starts to melt away, The Lad With The Flying Feet bids one last goodbye to the siblings and flies away with SpringDoncs.
The Wish Collector honors Elise sacrificing her last wish and takes the siblings home. Elise and Alfie wake up from their sleep, only to find themselves in the morning of Christmas. In the meantime, Mr. Smaller Than Small wishes for Elise and Alfie’s Father to come home; the siblings get happier than ever when he walks in because getting their family back together is the greatest Christmas gift for them. And, Mr. Smaller Than Small is none other than the Postman, who narrates us the story all along; he is a timeless figure, a watchful guardian who takes care of Alfie and Elise’s happiness all along. He is a symbol of hope who connects people who are apart through love and their shared memories.
