Timecrimes

[Horror]

This film is everything at once: a trippy mindfuck, nail-biting, and meticulously scripted.


Has anyone else seen it?


I liked it a lot, for sure. I am not sure if this will hold up on multiple viewings though, and sometimes it did seem too much like an exercise in academia, than a film… but was usually fun none the less.



The below is for only those who have seen it…..



Spoilers…..


Also,


I am not sure if I get the final scene all that much… Is the plot resolved, or will it just continue to repeat itself... forever?

[Tweek]

I loved it! The only thing that confused me is: Why did he get in the machine in the first place?

I think the ending is supposed to be ambiguous. Someone enlighten me if I'm wrong.

[Brendan M.]

I loved it! The only thing that confused me is: Why did he get in the machine in the first place?

I'm not sure I get your question. I saw this last year at Sundance and from what I remember the first scene had him running from the masked man who was trying to kill him, he runs into the scientist, and the scientist tries to hide him by putting him in the machine without him knowing it was a time machine.

[Tweek]

I'm not sure I get your question. I saw this last year at Sundance and from what I remember the first scene had him running from the masked man who was trying to kill him, he runs into the scientist, and the scientist tries to hide him by putting him in the machine without him knowing it was a time machine.
The masked man was Hector 1, though. So I think I'm asking why Hector 1 got into the machine.


(Also, did anyone have that bizarre but pretty good short film on their DVD? 7:35 in the Morning?)

[Brendan M.]

The masked man was Hector 1, though. So I think I'm asking why Hector 1 got into the machine.


(Also, did anyone have that bizarre but pretty good short film on their DVD? 7:35 in the Morning?)

I forget I had a Q&A with the director afterward and you guys seeing it for the first time on DVD didn't. Heh heh. :p

Well, I guess it was meant to be ambiguous and this was an event in time that was never meant to be explained. I remember the scientist said that when he first turned the machine on, Hector just popped out at random and gave the guy instructions. I would assume it has something to do with fate.

I'll have to check the DVD out sometime, hopefully Magnolia didn't make the same mistake they made with Let the Right One In. Is the short film directed by the same filmmaker as TimeCrimes?

[Tweek]

I forget I had a Q&A with the director afterward and you guys seeing it for the first time on DVD didn't. Heh heh. :p
You dirty so-and-so! ;)


Well, I guess it was meant to be ambiguous and this was an event in time that was never meant to be explained. I remember the scientist said that when he first turned the machine on, Hector just popped out at random and gave the guy instructions. I would assume it has something to do with fate.


I see. I really must watch this movie again.


I'll have to check the DVD out sometime, hopefully Magnolia didn't make the same mistake they made with Let the Right One In. Is the short film directed by the same filmmaker as TimeCrimes?

I hope that too. When I saw the side by side stills of the subtitle differences of Let the Right One In I got really sad.

The short film is from the same director. He's also the male lead in the short and the science-type in Timecrimes:

http://www.735am.com/

[someguy]

I loved it! The only thing that confused me is: Why did he get in the machine in the first place?

I think the ending is supposed to be ambiguous. Someone enlighten me if I'm wrong.

He (Hector 1) got in the machine because he was freaked out about the guy with the bandages (Hector 2) chasing him. The guy said that he would be safest in the time machine. Hector 1 was hesitant but once the bandages guy popped up he felt like he had no choice. Of course we learn later on that the only reason why the guy told him to get in the machine was because he knew that Hector 1 had to go inside it in the first place so he could go away from the present time and make everything go back to normal.

The ending wasn't ambiguous though, it came off that way to me at first but thinking about it afterwards it made sense. Hector 3 realized at the end that when he was Hector 2 he didn't accidentally get his wife killed. When he came back as Hector 3 and locked her in the shed he felt that he changed time successfully and saved his wife. Once he saw the naked girl though he realized that no, his wife never died at all. He knew what would happen and let the girl go. After that he took his wife and just sat down knowing that Hector 2 would drive off to scare Hector 1 into the time machine (and then Hector 2 would also go back in time to 'save' his wife). So time did correct itself at the end.

Of course, unless you meant ambiguous by whether or not he really did change time and save his wife but I'd say that it wouldn't be the case because everything was predetermined already.

[Tweek]

I really don't think I got my question across effectively but it's okay. I can put aside the confusion and did so enough to enjoy the first watch... Maybe more things will become clear upon a second viewing.

About the ending, I was saying "ambiguous" even though I'm leaning toward he had succeeded in correcting things. I can see how someone would interpret it another way.

[Brendan M.]

He (Hector 1) got in the machine because he was freaked out about the guy with the bandages (Hector 2) chasing him. The guy said that he would be safest in the time machine. Hector 1 was hesitant but once the bandages guy popped up he felt like he had no choice. Of course we learn later on that the only reason why the guy told him to get in the machine was because he knew that Hector 1 had to go inside it in the first place so he could go away from the present time and make everything go back to normal.

The ending wasn't ambiguous though, it came off that way to me at first but thinking about it afterwards it made sense. Hector 3 realized at the end that when he was Hector 2 he didn't accidentally get his wife killed. When he came back as Hector 3 and locked her in the shed he felt that he changed time successfully and saved his wife. Once he saw the naked girl though he realized that no, his wife never died at all. He knew what would happen and let the girl go. After that he took his wife and just sat down knowing that Hector 2 would drive off to scare Hector 1 into the time machine (and then Hector 2 would also go back in time to 'save' his wife). So time did correct itself at the end.

Of course, unless you meant ambiguous by whether or not he really did change time and save his wife but I'd say that it wouldn't be the case because everything was predetermined already.

I totally get what you're saying, the only thing I think is ambiguous is how the hell this time machine thing works in the first place, which I guess is always the one thing that is hard explain in every time travel movie.

I guess the moment the scientist turned the machine on is the moment that time and space continuum suddenly had some kind of error, and Hector was forced into a situation where he was meant to fix it.

[Horror]

Heavy Spoilers below:



On the Blockbuster version of the film there is the option to view the film chronologically, which I just viewed, this is my interpretation now:


The film basically starts with Hector 3 stepping out of the time machine and telling the scientist, “Your invention works. There is 3 of me.”

The rest of the film Hector 3 tries to stop Hector 2 (the man with the bandages) from getting into the time machine. Because as Hector 2 he accidentally kills the girl who he believed to be his wife.

Then Hector 2 chases Hector 1 into the time machine thinking his wife is dead, wanting to change the future. Hector 1 goes into the time machine. Thus making Hector 2. Hector 2 is the one who then later kills the girl and due to this, he must travel back in time at the end when it starts to rain, as he can hear police sirens in the distance.

This then leaves the film on a question mark, kind of, as we are reminded earlier in the film that…..

That Hector 3 is created of which knows all of this, and tells the girl to run, knowing she will die ( It‘s fate). He throws the scissors away which basically means that in my opinion he gives up believing that you can mess with the future and past, because basically he went back in time too much, thus making the entire world repeat itself forever…..

That’s my interpretation and I think we are not shown a Hector 4 because the movie had made its point with time travel being not good, already.

[Tweek]

Okay...Is that feature only on the Blockbuster version? :eek:

[someguy]

I totally get what you're saying, the only thing I think is ambiguous is how the hell this time machine thing works in the first place, which I guess is always the one thing that is hard explain in every time travel movie.

I guess the moment the scientist turned the machine on is the moment that time and space continuum suddenly had some kind of error, and Hector was forced into a situation where he was meant to fix it.

Well with the time machine that's where the science fiction part comes in. We don't need to know the specifics of it, just that it's a time machine that works and sends people back in time several hours.

About the ending, I was saying "ambiguous" even though I'm leaning toward he had succeeded in correcting things. I can see how someone would interpret it another way.

I guess I didn't know what specifically you meant by ambiguous. Did you mean whether or not Hector made things 'go back to normal' aka get rid of the other two Hectors or whether or not he was able to go back in time and save his wife? The answer to the first one is yes, the second one is no because his wife never died in the first place.

Also that chronological feature sounds like it makes the movie even more complicated. Technically the actual version really is the chronological one because we're going through the first Hector's POV. To the world around him the timeline isn't linear but it is for him.

[g1ng3rsnap9ed]

Did this film come out already? It flew entirely under my radar, if so..

[Tweek]

Get with the program, Gingy. ;)

Yeah, it's out and on DVD. Go! Watch it! I'll hold down the fort.

[g1ng3rsnap9ed]

Sorry, I rarely leave my little mental-world, and thus sometimes I miss out on important things like movie releases and assasinations. :D

[Horror]

Sorry for late response Tweek....

As far as I know it is, as the Blockbuster DVD of Timecrimes says "Chronological Edition Blockbuster Exclusive."

[Tweek]

Sorry for late response Tweek....

As far as I know it is, as the Blockbuster DVD of Timecrimes says "Chronological Edition Blockbuster Exclusive."

Well, poo. Thank you for your reply though. :)