There’s more than one way to tell a story and many ways to structure a movie, and who says events need to happen in chronological order? Many films choose to structure their story differently and have the events play out in a non-linear way. This allows us to get a fuller picture of the lives of the characters we are trying to understand.
This unconventional method of presenting the story can jump around to different time-periods and show us different perspectives. Thereby changing the audience’s understanding and relationship to the events that are unfolding. With this in mind, here are 10 of the best non-linear films.
Blue Valentine (2010) – 7.4
The romantic drama Blue Valentine stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams as a couple going through a break-up. The critically acclaimed drama doesn’t hold back in portraying the complex and dysfunctional relationship between them.
In addition to this, the film also features many flashbacks to the start of their relationship. This technique allows the audience to get a more complete picture of their relationship and understand the characters on a deeper over, where a more traditional structure would have not been able to achieve this.
Watchmen (2009) – 7.6
After successfully bringing Frank Miller’s 300 to life, Zack Snyder took on the difficult task of adapting Alan Moores’ critically acclaimed graphic novel for the big screen in a single film. The resulting film may not be perfect but it’s the closet anyone could have gotten at capturing the spirit of the book.
Watchmen features one of the complex narratives of any superhero movie, jumping between time-periods to give a fuller picture of the lives of every member of the team. Its non-linear structure is lifted straight from the comics and results in a complex superhero story like no other.
500 Days Of Summer (2009) – 7.7
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel 2009’s 500 Days of Summer charted the ill-fated relationship between two people as they navigate the ups and downs of their time together.
To achieve this the film does not take place in chronological order and instead jumps around the 500 days that made up their relationship. Including their first meeting, their time together, and their breakup. This provides the audience with all the information they need to understand why they weren’t suited for one another and how the relationship came to end.
Adaptation (2002) – 7.7
Adaptation was written by Charlie Kaufman and stars Nicolas Cage as the Kaufman, and his fictional twin brother. The film sees him trying to adapt a book into a screenplay and having a terrible time of it.
In addition to this, the film also features sequences set in the past, which see the event of the book play out. These two narratives collide in the film’s exciting and unexpected climax. The film was based upon Kaufman’s real experience when he was tasked with adapting the book and instead chose to incorporate his experience into the story.
Annie Hall (1977) – 8.0
The award-winning Annie Hall stars director Woody Allen as Alvy Singer and Diane Keaton as the titular Annie Hall. The film has endured as one of the funniest and most innovative romantic comedies of all time.
This is in large part due to its unusual structure which sees the film jump back forth between alternative time-periods, allowing the audience to gain an insight in everything from Singer’s childhood to his past relationships. Due to the simple nature of the story, this never becomes confusing and allows the film to flow in a surprisingly natural way.
Citizen Kane (1941) – 8.3
Declared by many as the greatest movie ever made, Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane may be almost 80 years old but its complex narrative unfolds in a usual way, allowing the audience to get a complete picture of Charles Kane’s life. The film opens with the death of Charles Kane and then proceeds to jump back and forth between timelines to view his life, and his transformation.
The film almost becomes a biography of the flawed figure as the audience is exposed to huge chunks of his life including his childhood, first marriage, and ill-fate political campaign.
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004) – 8.3
Starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of the most interesting dramas of the last few decades. This is in large part due to its unusual structure which cleverly unfolds in the most unexpected way.
The strange structure does not become apparent until the end of the film where all is revealed. This makes repeat views of the film an entirely different and rewarding experience.
Memento (2000) – 8.4
Director Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending thriller Memento sees a man with no short term memory trying to find the man who murdered his wife. To elicit the same feeling in the audience the film unfolds backward, beginning with the film’s climax and working back scene by scene to the beginning.
This puts the audience in the protagonist’s shoes, causing them to be just as confused as he is. Memento is a stronger film due to its unique structure and one of the most inventive films of recent memory.
Pulp Fiction (1994) – 8.9
Known for being one of the greatest sophomore directorial efforts ever made, Pulp Fiction features several different stories, that flow and connect unexpectedly and organically. Because of this, the audience is constantly switching perspective and is unsure when events are taking place.
However, these stories connect to a satisfying conclusion that makes everything clear. This was not the first time director Quentin Tarantino uses a non-linear structure in his films, but it undoubtedly remains his best.
The Godfather: Part II (1974) – 9.0
Hailed by many as one of the best sequels in all of cinematic history, The Godfather Part II had the difficult task of following one of the most critically acclaimed films of all time. Despite these lofty expectations, it managed the impossible and proved to be one of the greatest sequels ever made.
It also made great efforts not to repeat what made the first film work and instead told an entirely different story. The film consists of two connected stories, the first features Michael Corleone as the head of the crime family in the present day. The second flashes back to his father, Vito Corleone in 1917 and chronicles his rise to power from nothing. This unique structure displays the differences between Michael and his father, that a more traditional structure would have failed to illustrate.
