Some directors have changed the codes of cinema by revealing the ending of their film from the first minutes. This original process gave birth to many cinema classics that have captivated audiences around the world. Here is a list of six films that start with the ending. Warning spoilers!
At the cinema, prolepsis is a type of narration that involves informing the viewer of an event that takes place later in the film. The English equivalent of prolepsis is “flashforward“, not to be confused with the flashback. The flashforward is an anachronism, which means that the action has not yet taken place. It can in particular help to understand the story secret of a scenario. The flashback shows events that have already happened. Prolepsis is mainly used in science fiction films, but it also finds its place in other film genres such as thriller and drama.
Which thrillers start at the end?
The movie Fight Club by David Fincher begins almost with the final scene. The narrator (Edward Norton) finds himself trapped with Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) in a building full of explosives. At the end of the story (beware of spoilers to follow!)the viewer discovers that Tyler Durden never existed, and the building ends up exploding. At the beginning of Bryan Singer's film Usual Suspects, the character Verbal Kint played by Kevin Spacey undergoes an interrogation. His testimony is illustrated by flashbacks leading to a mysterious serial killer, Keyser Söze. The viewer discovers at the end that the culprit was in front of his eyes all along.
Two mystery films that spoil the ending at the beginning
Released in 1941, Citizen Kane is often considered one of the first films to use flashbacks in the 20th century. From the first minutes, the viewer discovers the death of Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) whose last word spoken is “rosebud“. The end of the film allows us to understand its meaning. The film Memento by Christopher Nolan has the particularity of being told backwards. It follows Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), a man who investigates the murder of his wife. Handicapped by his memory lapses, he tattoos clues on his skin. The black and white scenes are in the present and the color ones in the past.
Two French film titles that start at the end
The drama Irreversible by Gaspar Noé begins with the end credits rolling backwards. Pierre (Vincent Cassel) carries out revenge for the rape of his wife Alex (Monica Bellucci). The rape scene is shown later. The ending takes place a few hours before the terrible crime already seen by the viewer. The dramatic comedy Untouchables by Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache begins with a chase scene with the police. The rich quadriplegic Philippe (François Cluzet) is taken by Driss (Omar Sy) to Cabourg for a surprise meeting. This is not the final scene, but the one which precedes the conclusion of the film.
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