Flashbacks are a tricky technique to execute well. Done poorly, they can feel tacky and break the flow of the narrative. But done right, they can reveal something about a character, propel the story forward, and even change the viewer’s understanding of the whole movie.
With this in mind, Redditors recently got together onr/movies, the largest film subreddit, to discuss which movies make the best use of flashbacks. These films use clever editing to make the flashback feel effortless,smoothly transitioning the viewer from one time to another.
10’Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' (2019)
Quentin Tarantino’sOnce Upon a Time in Hollywoodunfolds in a vibrant, tumultuous alternate version of 1969 Los Angeles. Set against the backdrop of Hollywood’s declining golden age, the movie intertwines the lives of Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), a fading television star, his loyal stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) and actressSharon Tate(Margot Robbie). QT gleefully rewrites history, creating a new ending to the Manson family’s reign of terror.
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There’s a great flashback scene where Cliff thinks back to the time he got into a fight withBruce Lee(Mike Moh) on a movie set and was promptly fired. It’s subtle, and Tarantino pulls off the transition well, with terrific sound design to boot. “I thought the concept was executed nicely, without being distracting or tacky,” saidRedditor cavallom.
9’The Grand Budapest Hotel' (2014)
Many ofWes Anderson’s movies have inventive narrative structures, including stories-within-stories and nonlinear chronology.The Grand Budapest Hoteltakes the (Mendl) cake, however. The whole movie is a flashback, beginning in 1985 with a woman visiting the Author’s grave, before the movie itself switches to the Author’s life in 1968, and then even further back to Zero’s (Tony Revolori) experiences at the titular hotel in 1932.
“The whole structure ofThe Grand Budapest Hotel[consists of flashbacks], and the filmmaking around it is f—ing incredible,” saidRedditor kneeco28. “The framing devices show how Gustav’s (Ralph Fiennes) acts of reverence affect the generations of people who follow him,” addeduser KnotSoSalty.
8’The Irishman' (2019)
The IrishmanisMartin Scorsese’s gangster epic starring a de-agedRobert De NiroasFrank Sheeran, a World War II veteran turned mob hitman who gets tangled up with notorious figures such asRussell Bufalino(Joe Pesci) andJimmy Hoffa(Al Pacino). The entire movie plays with time and chronology, and it transitions subtly between time periods, like when Frank thinks back on his past.
“The Irishmanis all a flashback and then there are flashbacks in it. For example, Frank flashbacks to driving with Russell to the Bufalino wedding and then to meeting Russell and then to serving in WWII,” saiduser kneeco28.
7’The Departed' (2006)
Another Scorsese masterpiece,The Departedfollows two characters undercover. Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a young police officer who infiltrates an Irish-American organized crime syndicate led by Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). On the other side, there is Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a mole within the police force who secretly feeds information to Costello. One of the movie’s many strengths is the stylish way it deploys flashbacks that feel totally seamless.
“There’s a flashback to Leo taking care of his dying mother and arguing with his uncle [and then] we cut to Matt Damon in the present picking out his apartment before returning to the flashback for the mom’s funeral and then returning to Queenan’s office. And it’s done so smoothly that I didn’t even notice the jumping around until the fourth or fifth time I watched it,” saiduser Vince_Clortho042.
6’Saw' (2004)
James Wan’s grisly debut centers on two men, Adam (Leigh Whannell) and Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes), who wake up in a dilapidated bathroom, chained to pipes and unaware of how they got there. They soon discover they are pawns in a sadistic game orchestrated by the serial killer known as Jigsaw (Tobin Bell). Through a series of flashback sequences and intricate plot twists,Sawdelves into the demented mind of Jigsaw, constantly keeping the audience off guard.
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“Dr. Gordon tells [Adam] how the real Jigsaw killer had planted evidence to frame him. The movie flashes back to Gordon in the police station being interrogated, and while he’s there, the cops ask him to listen to another woman’s story about how Jigsaw ‘tested’ her… and we flash back intohermemories of what happened,” saidRedditor the_dirtiest.
5’The Locket' (1946)
“The Locketis a 1946 film noir, which is primarily famous for nesting flashbacks within flashbacks,” saidRedditor Deep-Ad-7924. DirectorD.W. Griffithsis generally credited for first using flashbacks way back in the 1900s, butThe Lockettook the technique to a new level.
Laraine Daystars as Nancy, a young woman with a troubled past. Through flashbacks, we witness Nancy’s tumultuous childhood, her difficult marriage to artist Norman Clyde (Robert Mitchum), and her encounters with psychiatrist Dr. Harry Blair (Gene Raymond), who claims that she is a murderer.
4’Serenity' (2005)
Serenityis the companion film toJoss Whedon’s sci-fi TV showFirefly. It focuses on the renegade crew of the spaceship led by Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion). They embark on a dangerous mission to protect River Tam (Summer Glau), a woman with psychic abilities.
One Redditor raved about the film’s use of flashbacks, especially the ones showing River’s tragic backstory. “One of the best movie openings I’ve ever seen,” saiduser Psittacula2. “So well executed and so slick. Phenomenal filmmaking.”
3’Ghosts of Mars' (2001)
ThisJohn Carpentersci-fi takes place in a mining colony on Mars, where Lieutenant Melanie Ballard (Natasha Henstridge) and her team arrive to transport notorious criminal Desolation Williams (Ice Cube) to a different location. However, they soon discover that the colony has been overrun by hostile Martian spirits who possess the bodies of the colonists, turning them into bloodthirsty killers.
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The movies use multiple flashbacks, including flashbacks within flashbacks, from various characters' perspectives to expand the narrative. “The whole movie is basically a flashback except the setup and the ending,” saidRedditor sunniblu03. “I’d like to think thatJohn Carpenter did this whole movieas a big ‘F— you’ to Hollywood and typical movie plots,” addeduser raelus.
2’Titanic' (1997)
“InTitanic, a flashback told from the perspective of Rose in old age, there were several flashbacks of character’s lives prior to boarding the Titanic,” pointed outuser ClmrThnUR. Indeed, the movie begins in 1996, with an elderly Rose (Gloria Stuart) reflecting on her experiences aboard the doomed ship, before transitioning back to 1912.
From there,James Cameroncontinues to deftly deploy flashbacks when introducing certain characters or revealing more information about their origins. In addition, the ending scenes switch between the wreck of the Titanic on the ocean floor in the present and the ship bustling with people while on its voyage.
1’Memento' (2000)
MementoisChristopher Nolan’smost mind-bending movie, a reverse-chronological psychological thriller that unfolds in two parallel sequences, centering on a protagonist (Guy Pearce) who is so unreliable that he can’t even trust himself. The whole thing could have collapsed into an incomprehensible mess, but Nolan has the directorial chops to keep these tricky plates spinning.
“InMemento, the linear narrative is in color while black-and-white flashbacks play in reverse until the story converges at the climax. Some of those color scenes contain black-and-white flashbacks to the protagonist’s life prior to the incident that left him without his memory,” explainsRedditor ClmrThnUR.
