Predestination (film)

Predestination

Australian poster
Directed by Michael Spierig
Peter Spierig
Produced by
Written by
Based on "'—All You Zombies—'" 
by Robert A. Heinlein
Starring
Music by Peter Spierig
Cinematography Ben Nott
Edited by Matt Villa
Production
company
Distributed by Pinnacle Films
Release dates
  • 8 March 2014 (2014-03-08) (SXSW Film Festival)
  • 28 August 2014 (2014-08-28) (Australia)
Running time
 97 minutes[1]
Country Australia
Language English
Box office $4.3 million[2]

Predestination is a 2014 Australian science fiction mystery thriller film written and directed by Michael and Peter Spierig. The film is based on the Robert A. Heinlein short story "'—All You Zombies—'", and stars Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook and Noah Taylor.

Plot

The movie begins in medias res as a time travelling agent is trying to disarm a bomb that explodes and burns his face. Someone approaches and helps him to grasp his time travelling device, bringing him to a hospital in the future. While the agent is recovering from facial reconstruction, we learn that he had been trying to prevent the "Fizzle Bomber's" attack on New York, in 1975. After his recovery he receives his last assignment.

The agent moves to 1970 New York. As a bartender, he starts a conversation with one of the customers. The customer, John, reveals he writes true confession articles under the pen name "The Unmarried Mother". This pseudonym is explained by his biography. He grew up as "Jane" in an orphanage. As an adult she applied for "Space Corp", but she was later disqualified because of a medical condition. She met a man that she fell in love with, but later that man disappeared. It turns out that Space Corp worked for the Temporal Agency, and this agency now wanted to recruit her. However, Jane became pregnant with her ex-lover's baby. The agency broke off contact, and later her baby was stolen. Furthermore, she found out that she was intersex and that giving birth had led to complications that required her to become a man. Since then, John has been living a bitter life as "The Unmarried Mother".

The agent offers to take John back to the day that Jane met the man who had left her, so John can kill him. In return, John will take over the agent's job for whatever duration he wishes. After returning to that day, John encounters Jane, and when they begin talking. John realizes he was Jane's lover. The baby born from this "self fertilization", suffering from a genital defect as a result, is taken by the agent to an orphanage 18 years earlier. Therefore, Jane, John and their baby are the same person, revealing a predestination paradox. The agent goes to 1975 New York as well, where he helps the burned man from the beginning of the film.

John has to leave Jane behind and is brought to the Temporal Agency. He now takes over the job so the agent can retire in 1970 New York. However, the agent's time-travel device does not decommission itself as planned. He has been ordered to check a launderette at the moment the Fizzle Bomber will be there. The Fizzle Bomber turns out to be the agent's own future self. The Fizzle Bomber insists that his actions have saved and will save more lives than the lives lost, and that they will ultimately lead to the reinforcement of the Temporal Agency. The agent denies he will ever become the Fizzle Bomber and kills his future self.

The film finally reveals that in 1975, John travels to New York and is burned while disarming a bomb. His subsequent facial reconstruction significantly changes his appearance, and it is now clear that John, Jane, the agent and the Fizzle Bomber are the same person. This "perfect" temporal agent was responsible for his own conception and death; he has driven the predestination paradox to its limit.

Cast

Timeline

Agent Chronology Date Event
0 1981 Time travel is invented, allowing travelers to go 53 years forward or backward.
1 1964-Feb Baby Jane is born to John and Jane.
2 1964-Mar-02 Baby Jane is kidnapped by Mr. Doe.
3 1945-Sep-13 Baby Jane is left at Cleveland Orphanage.
4 1963-Apr-03 Jane meets John at Cleveland College.
5 1963-Jun-24 Jane is abandoned, left pregnant and alone.
6 1965-Jan Jane becomes John after eleven months of surgery and recovery.
7 1970-Nov-06 In New York, John, now a true confessions writer, meets Mr. Doe, working as a barkeep.
8 1985-Aug-12 Mr. Doe leaves John at the Temporal Bureau to become an agent.
9 1985-Aug-13 John becomes Mr. Doe, a temporal agent, and he receives his field kit.
10 1970-Mar-02 In New York, Mr. Doe attempts to disarm the Fizzle Bomber's bomb, but it explodes, damaging his face.
11 1992-Feb-21 Mr. Doe returns to the Temporal Bureau, where he is left to undergo surgery and heal before his final mission.
12 1975-Jan-07 Mr. Doe retires to New York, but his field kit fails to decommission.
13 1975-Mar-06 Mr. Doe kills the Fizzle Bomber, himself.
14 1974 In Chicago, Illinois, the Fizzle Bomber prevents a chemical spill by destroying the chemical company, preventing the potential drunk driver from going into work, saving 324 lives from the original 350+ death toll.
15 1975 In Los Angeles, California, the Fizzle Bomber prevents an extremist group from igniting a bomb, decreasing the original 1,081 death toll.
16 1991-Apr-03 In Hamburg, Germany, the Fizzle Bomber prevents the deaths of 1,861 people.
17 1968 In Boston, Massachusetts, the Fizzle Bomber prevents the Hardshaw Weapons Factory Heist by destroying the factory, preventing the deaths of 3,027 people.
18 1970 In Melbourne, Australia, the Fizzle Bomber prevents the Flinders Street Station train crash.

Production

Development

On 14 May 2012, the Spierig brothers—who had already written a screenplay—were announced as the directors of Predestination.[3] Peter Spierig explained in August 2014 that they remained close to Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 short story.[4] They did not try to take apart the logic of the more than 50-year-old narrative: "... so we [Spierig brothers] worked on the logic that if there was a way to pick apart the logic, over that time it would have been done by now. We kind of say, 'let's trust the short story and trust that logic', so we stuck very closely to it."[5]

Hawke was selected for the lead role, while Wolfhound Pictures and Blacklab Entertainment collaborated to produce the film.[6] Hawke explained in November 2014 that he is a longtime fan of the science fiction genre, but prefers its human elements, rather than special effects:

Whether it's Robert Heinlein, Kurt Vonnegut, Philip K Dick, HG Wells or whoever ... that kind of mind-bendy science-fiction where you can really attack themes in a new way. And when I read Predestination it was like: "What the fuck did I just read?!"[4]

Distribution

Arclight Films had bought the international rights to the film,[6] and on 18 May 2012, Tiberius Film attained the German rights to the film from Arclight.[7] On 23 May 2012, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions acquired the American and some international rights to the film.[8]

Financing

On 5 September 2012, Screen Australia announced that it would finance the film as part of a A$5.5 million (US$5.6 million) investment in three feature films.[9]

Casting

On 28 February 2013, Snook signed on to star in one of the film's lead roles,[10] followed by Taylor, who joined the cast of the film on 13 May 2013. Also in 2013, Pinnacle Films secured the Australian and New Zealand distribution rights to the film.[11]

Filming

On 19 February 2013, pre-production was scheduled to begin on 25 February 2013, while shooting was scheduled to begin on 8 April 2013 in Melbourne, Australia, for a duration of six weeks.[12] By 13 May 2013, filming was underway.[11] Filming predominantly took place at the Docklands Studios Melbourne facility, located approximately 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) from the city of Melbourne's Central Business District (CBD).[13] Scenes from the film were shot at the Abbotsford Convent, located in the inner-city Melbourne suburb of Abbotsford, and at the RMIT Design Hub.[5]

In regard to Snook, the brothers explained to the media that they always seek to cast a lesser known actor in their films. Michael Spierig later compared Snook's acting ability to that of fellow Australian actress Cate Blanchett. They also said that they prefer to film in Australia, with its rebates and incentives, but will film in any geographical location.[5]

Release

On 5 February 2014, some images from the film were released,[14] and on 21 July 2014, the first Australian trailer for the film was released.[15] On 25 September, another official trailer was released.[16]

The film's global premiere was held on 8 March 2014 at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, United States (US).[17] The film was then selected for the opening night gala of the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), held at the Hamer Hall venue on 31 July 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. The MIFF promotional material described the film as a "distinctive blend of sci-fi, noir and crime fiction with a Bukowskian streak."[18] The Sydney, Australia, premiere of the film, which also featured a live Q&A session with the directors, occurred on 6 August 2014 at the Palace Verona cinema.[19]

The film went on general release in the United Kingdom on 13 February 2015.[4] Following the release of two trailers, and a seven-minute excerpt that was published on 3 December 2014, the film premiered on 9 January 2015 in the United States.[20]

Critical response

Predestination received generally positive reviews from critics, with the time-loop elements and the performance of Sarah Snook receiving overwhelming universal acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, the film has a score of 84% based on 100 reviews with an average rating of 6.9 out of 10. The site's critical consensus states: "Fun genre fare with uncommon intelligence, Predestination serves as a better-than-average sci-fi adventure -- and offers a starmaking turn from Sarah Snook."[21] The film also has a score of 69 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[22]

In Variety magazine's review of the film, the writer presented an "entrancingly strange time-travel saga" that "succeeds in teasing the brain and touching the heart even when its twists and turns keep multiplying well past the point of narrative sustainability."[17] In anticipation of the MIFF opening night's screening, the Sydney Morning Herald's National Film Editor Karl Quinn highlighted Snook's performance, describing it as a "career-making role". In terms of the plot, Quinn states that it is "intriguing" even though it could "unravel at the slightest tug on a thread of loose logic."[23]

The lead character was variously described as transgender or intersex in different media articles.[24] Hawke told the UK's Guardian publication prior to the film's UK release date that transgender issues are not the focal point of the film, but rather that the narrative is relevant to all people: "There's something about Predestination that actually does get at identity, for me".[4]

Accolades

Award Category Subject Result
AACTA Award
(4th)[25]		 Best Film Paddy McDonald Nominated
Tim McGahan Nominated
Spierig brothers Nominated
Best Direction Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated
Best Actress Sarah Snook Won
Best Cinematography Ben Nott Won
Best Editing Matt Villa Won
Best Original Music Score Peter Spierig Nominated
Best Production Design Matthew Putland Won
Best Costume Design Wendy Cork Nominated
AFCA Awards Best Film Nominated
Best Director Spierig brothers Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Best Actress Sarah Snook Nominated
Best Cinematography Ben Nott Nominated
Australian Cinematographers Society Award of Distinction Won
FCCA Awards Best Film Paddy McDonald Nominated
Tim McGahan Nominated
Spierig brothers Nominated
Best Director Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Best Actress Sarah Snook Won
Best Cinematography Ben Nott Nominated
Best Editing Matt Villa Won
Best Music Score Peter Spierig Nominated
Best Production Design Matthew Putland Won
Toronto After Dark Film Festival Special Award for Best Sci-Fi Film Won
Special Award for Best Screenplay Spierig brothers Won
Audience Award for Best Feature Film 2nd place

See also

References

  1. ↑ "PREDESTINATION (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  2. ↑ "Predestination". Box Office Mojo. 2014. Retrieved 2015-01-01.
  3. ↑ McNary, Dave (14 May 2012). "'Predestination' eyes early 2013 shoot". variety.com. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Alex Godfrey (29 November 2014). "Ethan Hawke: 'Mining your life is the only way to stumble on anything real'". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Michael Bodey (20 August 2014). "Spierig brothers tackle time travel in their new movie 'Predestination'". The Australian. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  6. 1 2 Shaw, Lucas (14 May 2012). "Arclight Films Acquires Spierig Bros.' 'Predestination'". thewrap.com. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  7. ↑ Roxborough, Scott (18 May 2012). "Tiberius Takes Ethan Hawke Thriller 'Predestination'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  8. ↑ Kit, Borys (23 May 2012). "Ethan Hawke Time-Travel Thriller 'Predestination' Bought By Sony". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  9. ↑ "Screen Australia Backs Ethan Hawke 'Predestination', 2 Other Projects". deadline.com. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  10. ↑ "Sarah Snook Set To Star Opposite Ethan Hawke In 'Predestination'". deadline.com. 28 February 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  11. 1 2 Blatchford, Emily (13 May 2013). "Noah Taylor joins Hawke, Snook in Predestination cast". if.com.au. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  12. ↑ Swift, Brendan (19 February 2013). "Spierig brothers' Predestination to shoot in April". if.com.au. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  13. ↑ Quinn, Karl (20 February 2013). "Ethan Hawke to make sci-fi film in Melbourne". smh.com.au. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  14. ↑ "New 'Predestination' Imagery Hunts Itself From the Future!". bloody-disgusting.com. 5 February 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  15. ↑ Anderton, Ethan (21 July 2014). "Ethan Hawke Time Travels in the Aussie Trailer for 'Predestination'". firstshowing.net. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  16. ↑ Anderton, Ethan (25 September 2014). "Ethan Hawke Stops Crime Before It Happens in 'Predestination' Trailer". firstshowing.net. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  17. 1 2 Chang, Justin (9 March 2014). "SXSW Film Review: 'Predestination'". variety.com. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  18. ↑ "MIFF Opening Night Gala 2014". Melbourne International Film Festival. Melbourne International Film Festival. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  19. ↑ "Predestination Sydney Premiere and Q&A with Spierig Brothers". Palace Cinemas. Palace Cinemas. 6 August 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  20. ↑ Evan Dickson. "Ethan Hawke Is Looking Rough In This Seven Minute PREDESTINATION Opening Scene". Collider. Complex. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  21. ↑ "PREDESTINATION (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster, 89Inc. 5 December 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  22. ↑ "PREDESTINATION (2015)". Metacritic. Metacritic. 9 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  23. ↑ Karl Quinn (30 July 2014). "MIFF 2014 review: Predestination". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  24. ↑ Henry Barnes (10 March 2014). "Predestination has Ethan Hawke running out of time". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  25. ↑ "AACTA Winners & Nominees - 4th AACTA Awards". AFI / AACTA. AACTA. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.

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