Have you ever watched a film that does not follow the normal beginning, middle, and end? Well, welcome to the world of nonlinear storytelling, where time isn’t linear— and neither are the rules of filmmaking. This fun and engaging way of storytelling has seen a rise in popularity in the 1990s and 2000s with directors like Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan really capitalizing on this new approach to filmmaking. This new technique was a way for watchers to engage more with the film and story itself. It causes watchers to really think and digest what they are seeing as what is happening now is in direct relation to what’s to come. This made watchers have to really pay attention to these films as the nontraditional structure made it hard to grasp if you missed key scenes that are shifting points of action in the film. For those who really like a film to make them think and who love a final “aha” moment at the end — nonlinear films are just what you are looking for.

Nonlinear films are like reading a book where the chapters jump all over the place. One moment you’re in the past, the next you’re in your future. They do not follow a straight line and it doesn’t care if you’re confused — you’re here for the ride. Films like these tend to be either your favorite or your least. It makes watchers rethink time, memory, and how the story is unfolding — which can be off-putting for some and addicting to others. Twists and turns at every corner that keeps the audience watching and attentive.

Remember the first time you ever watched Pulp Fiction and felt like you were playing mental hopscotch? Well, that was Tarantino throwing out the rule book. Pulp Fiction is a lot of people’s introduction into the nonlinear genre, and is really the film that solidified Tarantino as one of the founding fathers of nonlinear film. The film follows three storylines and their main protagonists: Vincent Vega (John Travolta), a hitman, Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis), a prizefighter, and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson), also a hitman and Vincent’s partner. He scrambled the storylines and scenes of this movie like a mad genius, jumping around leaving the audience to fend for themselves and try and figure out the plot as the movie progresses. It is amazing how someone can leave an audience so confused, yet so intrigued. Scenes like the dance scene between Vincent Vega and Mrs. Mia Wallace or the car scene of Jules and Vincent talking about their time apart are ones that keep the audience interested and leaves a lasting impression even amidst the jumbled chaos of the scenes.

Tarantino’s love for nonlinearity did not start with Pulp Fiction; however, his first crack at the nonlinear structure was his 1992 film Reservoir Dogs. Similar to Pulp Fiction the film contains a bunch of scrambled storylines and scenes, but its most intriguing aspect is the unreliable narrator plot. Reservoir Dogs is a film that follows six criminals who are brought together to complete a robbery as a team, until everything goes wrong and they are ambushed by the police. The film uses each character’s perspective and leaves the audience questioning who is telling the truth and who is lying to make themselves look better. Tarantino has a talent and care for nonlinearity — not just for the sake of confusion, but to explore themes like fate, coincidence, and redemption. He made movies feel like a wild, unpredictable journey, and audiences were addicted.

Similar to Tarantino, Christopher Nolan doesn’t do timelines. He bends them, folds them, and makes them do flips for fun. Nolan’s 2000 film Memento is a perfect example of such. The film followed the main protagonist, Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), who has short term memory loss and is struggling to solve the murder of his wife because of this. Nolan chooses a very intentional and brilliant backwards structure that scrambles the brains of the audience along with Leonard. This reverse storytelling made the audience really feel like they were stepping into the shoes of a man who can’t remember what just happened — allowing for them to feel like they are figuring it all out along with him, and making the ending just as satisfying. Mr. Nolan didn’t stop there either, in 2020 he released one of his most mentally complex films, Tenet. Tenet is a film that defies all you know about time in film. This film is regarded as a time-bending rollercoaster as time literally moves in both directions at once. This new take by Nolan expanded everyone’s understanding of nonlinear filmmaking by making time the main character. Contrary to popular belief however, Nolan does not use a  nonlinear structure to confuse the audience, but to give them a deeper connection to his character’s struggles with memory, identity, and perception.

Back in the day, nonlinear films were a mind-bender. Now? It’s like an extra shot of espresso; we crave it! Nonlinear storytelling went from a niche to mainstream, and has continued on since throughout all of film. So much so, audiences have come to expect a little brain twisting fun in film. Nonlinear film reactions evolved from “I don’t get it” to “I need more!”. Streaming has also contributed to this growing popularity and made viewing these types of film easier, as watchers can pause, rewind, and skip between the timelines at their own pace, as well as giving them more access to these types of films.

If you thought the twists were crazy now, wait until you see what filmmakers cook up next. Nonlinear storytelling is here to stay and with growing advancements in film technology, the sky’s the limit. Directors today are constantly pushing the limits and boundaries of film narratives and with time might turn the present understanding of time and storytelling upside down all over again. Perhaps this new perspective will give birth to film narratives that exist in multiple timelines at once. Who knows? The future of film is looking very….. exciting.