The reason I believe their handwriting to be degrading is that entropy is a function of the universe expanding – going forward in time. All of our cellular mechanisms work because time goes forward. When you reverse time, they don’t function. So the brain can’t repair itself while the person is in the box. Hence, they are causing themselves to have brain damage: the longer you are in the boxes, the more extensive the damage.

At least, that’s my take on it. Thoughts?

very good idea for a movie , but could be directed better than that i believe .

To name a couple:

First, you argue that the first time we see Aaron wearing the earpiece (on the bench) that he is listening to march madness games. You simply ignore the fact that it could be and clearly is Aaron from the future trying to fix things. Figuring out that he was never listening to basketball is a major twist in the movie. Notice how it switches back to no earpiece Aaron when he sees Abe’s double for the first time.

Also, it’s clearly one of Aaron’s doubles in the garage listening to a conversation in the earpiece when they’re putting watches in the machine. We can hear it! He’s trying to get Abe to slow down so he can catch up on the tape! You simply dismiss this without argumentation.

Secondly, when Abe and Aaron drive up in Abe’s car next to the truck and Aaron asks Abe what he did the first time through, Aaron’s asking what he did the first time he lived that day. Abe went to a hotel so when he came back in time he wouldn’t run into himself; thus, making it possible for him to go around town with Aaron explaining things. Now, since Abe has lived this day twice, once with Aaron and once without him, Aaron has, in a manner of speaking (which is a major part of understanding this movie), lived this day twice as well. The first time, he “worked all day” as he assumes. The second time (although neither time can really be called second or first) he hung out and discovered time travel all day with Abe. This is the whole quantum mechanics, alternate/duplicate realities, copies of themselves stuff that’s going on.

So when Abe and Aaron pull up in the car next to the truck, Abe has already entered the machine, meaning there is only one Abe again in the “present” and he is free to take his car. That’s why it’s so important for them not to run into their copies until they enter the box, because only then is there one of them.