SLC-S25/W4-Movie Snapshots | Time Travel and Twist – Predestination

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Hello steemians,

Cinema has always fascinated minds by exploring one of the most complex and intriguing concepts in science fiction and time travel. Between temporal paradoxes, inescapable destiny, and infinite loops, some films go beyond mere entertainment to take us on a dizzying mental journey.

This week, as part of the SLC-S25/W4 challenge, I've chosen to revisit a masterpiece that is at once disconcerting, masterfully written, and incredibly moving: Predestination, an Australian-American film directed by the Spierig brothers, adapted from the short story "All You Zombies" by Robert A. Heinlein.

Film Summary

The film Predestination follows a temporal agent (played by Ethan Hawke), a time traveler employed by a mysterious government agency, whose mission is to prevent crimes before they happen. His latest mission was to find an elusive terrorist, nicknamed the "Fizzle Bomber," who caused thousands of deaths in New York City in 1975.

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To achieve this, he is sent into the past and assumes the identity of a bartender. There, he engages in an enigmatic conversation with a customer, a strange man who claims to be able to tell him "the most incredible story ever heard." What the latter reveals is a mind-blowing odyssey about identity, gender, abandonment, love, and above all... destiny.

What one thinks is a simple suspense story gradually becomes a vicious spiral where past, present and future mix, until a final twist of rare complexity is revealed, which literally forces one to rewatch the film immediately after the credits, as the final revelations change the perception of each previous scene.

Time Travel as a Narrative Core

In Predestination, time travel is not just a simple science fiction device intended to impress, it becomes the very essence of the plot, the element around which the protagonist's entire identity is constructed, or rather deconstructed. Each time jump serves not only to solve a crime, but to further explore the ramifications of human identity and the human condition. The time machine, seemingly simple, is merely a tool and it is in the way it is used and in the consequences of its repeated use that the film's narrative power lies.

Far from the usual clichés, the film is anchored in a philosophy of absolute determinism, where everything seems pre-written, inevitable, and where we question, without ever providing a definitive answer, free will and the very possibility of escaping one's destiny.

The Twist: A Dizzying Identity Spiral

It would be unfair, even criminal, to reveal the final twist of Predestination here to those who haven't seen it. Let's just say that the film pushes the concept of the temporal paradox to the extreme, associating it with issues of identity and gender. The viewer is simultaneously dazzled, destabilized, and strangely moved by the audacity of the storyline.

What we thought was a story of pursuit gradually becomes a stifling psychological closed room, where each character is perhaps only a reflection of another, or even the same being at different moments of their existence, this temporal mise en abyme transforms the film into a true existential enigma which can we really know ourselves? Are we in control of what we become?

Style, Writing, and Direction

The dialogue is polished, profound, and often tinged with philosophy. The silences are heavy, the glances are charged with meaning, and every visual detail seems designed to be interpreted in light of the final twist. The linear narrative is intentionally broken, disorienting the viewer but also rewarding their attention. Ethan Hawke's performance is masterful, understated yet intense, and Sarah Snook's portrayal of the young man (or should I say the young woman?) is stunningly accurate and subtle.

The soundtrack accompanies this atmosphere with an elegant sobriety, reinforcing the feeling of tragic destiny that hangs over the entire story, the light, often cold, metallic, seems to remind us at every moment that we are never totally in reality, but in a time that escapes us. Why this film made an impression on me

Predestination isn't a film you forget, it haunts, forcing us to reconsider what we think we know about ourselves, about others, and about time itself. It reminds us that sometimes, believing we're fleeing our past, we're running straight back toward it. The fact that the protagonist's identity alone constitutes a temporal nexus is a screenwriting feat that few films have dared to achieve with such finesse.

This film struck me because it not only entertained, but also forced me to reflect deeply on the notions of origin, solitude, choice, pain, and meaning. By closing this perfect time loop, it left me with more questions than answers, and that, in my opinion, is the sign of a truly artistic work.

Conclusion

I highly recommend anyone who hasn't seen Predestination to dive right in without reading any other reviews or spoilers. It is an experience that deserves to be lived in total ignorance, so that the final shock is total.

Predestination Official International Trailer