Linear story-telling would be a story that starts at the beginning and ends at the end. an increasingly common story-telling trope in movies is non-linear storytelling, where the story is told in different sections, with the chronological sequence of events being distorted. Sometimes this is just an interesting idea to tell stories in different ways but for some films, this very idea is crucial to the film.

Memento

Undoubtedly the film where this is most important is Memento. Christopher Nolan’s first full-length film has a narrative that is almost impossible to put in some sort of chronological order. This is because we follow the character of Lenny – a man investigating the murder of his wife. The problem is that in the attack that killed his wife Lenny is also injured and suffers from anterograde amnesia. This is a kind of amnesia where the memories before the injury remain but new ones are unable to be made. You could meet Lenny for the first time, leave the room, come back two minutes later and he wouldn’t remember you, once his short-term memory has moved on nothing is saved. This means Lenny himself has a hell of a time trying to navigate life and solve a crime. We learn at the end of the film just how disjointed the narrative is. The confusion that the viewer has in trying to keep track of what is happening gives them just a small glimpse into Lenny’s life. In the way that the audience can be manipulated into making certain conclusions or assumptions by someone who has control over how the information is relayed so can Lenny.

Pulp fiction

Perhaps the most famous example of this is Pulp Fiction. While this purely a storytelling choice unlike some of the other films mentioned, if one were to simply rearrange Pulp Fiction and put it in chronological order it would be a worse film. The film opens in a diner about to be held up and ends there as well – in between a lot happens, including the death of one of the people in the diner. Pulp Fiction tells several interconnected stories – a diner holdup, two gangsters going to reclaim their boss’s property, the same two gangsters accidentally killing someone and having to clean that mess up, one gangster taking the boss’s wife out on a platonic date and a boxer being paid to throw a fight who instead takes that money bets on himself and wins. The stories weave in and out of each other and it is not entirely clear when they place in relation to one another. Famously in one scene John Travolta’s Vincent Vega is killed by Bruce Willis’ Butch and then appears in the next scene – as chronologically his death is still in the future.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Like Memento the brilliant Eternal Sunshine focuses on memory. But in Eternal Sunshine the hook is a company will delete painful memories, so bad breakups and so on. Joel finds out his girlfriend has chosen to delete him from her memory and so decides to do the same thing. Most of the film takes place within Joel’s mind while he sleeps and the memories are deleted. There is a handy trick in the film – similar to one used in Memento – of Clem’s hair changing colour, she mentions she dyes it often and so this can be used as a rough measure of “when” we are. As the film progresses we learn that some of what we are seeing is not the setup of their relationship but that they meet again AFTER both have deleted each other from their respective memories. The time spent in Joel’s mind is inherently disjointed especially when to avoid the memory deletion Joel goes to memories that do not contain Clem.

In Television

There are a number of TV shows that have used non-linear narrative or at least elements of it. So there is Rick and Morty, a tv show featuring time travel, memory manipulation, inter-dimensional travel, literally the Devil, we have absolutely no idea who is a clone, a robot, from another dimension, what year it is, is this in our universe, is the universe simply a car battery? We don’t know. Inside No. 9 has an episode where we start at the end and jump back every scene, each time learning new things and different identities of the character, like Pulp Fiction to simply reverse the film it wouldn’t be as good. Doctor Who makes fantastic use of time travel to present a non-linear relationship, the character of River Song was the Doctor’s wife but when we first meet the character the Doctor doesn’t know who she is and over the course of several seasons and different Doctors their relationship is filled in. They often talk about “spoilers” – saying things the other doesn’t know about yet.

Also Read: ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Can Open For More Indigenous Storytelling and Talent

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Memento (2000)

Christopher Nolan is known for playing with non linear storytelling in his films, and this is one of his earliest examples. After the murder of his wife, a man tries to track her killer down. However, the twist is that he is unable to form new memories, as the attack has injured his short term memory. With Leonard (Guy Pearce) unable to remember any clues or information he’s given, he has to find some creative ways of solving the case. Told as two separate storylines, one running backwards, one forwards and meeting in the middle, it’s an interesting twist on a familiar plot.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

When a relationship breaks down, there can be lots of conflicting feelings. The memories of it can sometimes be very painful to look back on. Clementine (Kate Winslet) and Joel (Jim Carrey) decide that the memories are too difficult to live with and undergo a procedure to have their memories of each other erased. What follows is a unique experience and exploration of memories as the couple re-experience their time together. A traditionally weird script from Charlie Kaufman, it’s both funny and sad, with great performances from the cast.

Total Recall (1990)

An action classic from the director of Robocop and Starship Troopers. Seeking to escape his dreary mundane life, Quaid (Schwarzenegger) has memories of a trip to Mars he never took implanted. However, it quickly goes wrong as his former life as a secret agent is exposed and Quaid finds himself on the run. Or does he? While on the surface it’s a simple sci-fi action movie, there’s always some doubt as to whether what’s happening is real, or is Quaid getting exactly what he paid for? The film never gives a definitive answer, instead of leaving it up to the audience to decide for themselves, unlike the 2012 remake, which is less ambiguous.

Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

A perfect example of memory loss helping to introduce a world. Dr Ido (Christoph Waltz) finds a damaged cyborg named Alita (Rosa Salazar) and takes her in. Through Alita’s (CGI enhanced) eyes we discover her world, it does a great job of creating a living, believable world, and slowly teasing the character’s backstory. Her memories come back to her slowly, and it is implied that other character’s know her history before she does. As Alita’s memories come back, and she learns more about her world, her skills increase, with the fights getting increasingly elaborate as she learns.

Mulholland Drive (2001)

David Lynch is renowned for his weird films, and this one is no exception. Originally conceived as a spin-off of Twin Peaks before becoming its own pilot, and later feature film. The film’s title comes from the location of the car crash at the start of the film, in which “Rita” (Laura Harring) loses her memory. A strange mystery follows, as well as several other stories, and much is left up to the viewer’s own personal interpretation. Lynch infamously refuses to answer questions about the film, which has led to dozens of fan theories, including one that suggests the whole thing is a dream.

Dark City (1998)

Despite being a box office bomb, it was loved by critics and has become a cult classic, as well as influencing The Matrix. Waking up in a bathtub without even knowing his own name, and finding a murdered woman in the apartment John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) finds himself on the run whilst trying to find out just exactly what is going on. With influences from Greek mythology and The Twilight Zone, it’s an interesting mystery with a well-designed world.

Trance (2013)

Although not the most loved film on this list, Danny Boyle’s hypnosis thriller uses memory loss in interesting ways. After being injured in an art heist, Simon (James McAvoy) forgets the location of a painting, so the criminals take him to a hypnotherapist (Rosario Dawson). As you do. While searching for the painting, other memories are uncovered, and there is much more to Simon and the art heist than is let on. McAvoy almost turned the role down, until he realised there was more and more to the character, as layers are pulled back throughout the film.

Also Read: The Best Sci-Fi Films of the Decade (2010 – 2019)

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