Flashback Ending Explained, Flashback Movie Explained
by Krishika M
Updated Mar 08, 2023
Flashback movie
Flashback, also known as The Education of Fredrick Fitzell, is a 2020 Canadian mystery thriller movie directed and written by Christopher MacBride. It stars Dylan O'Brien, Hannah Gross, and Maika Monroe. The film was first screened at the 2020 Sitges Film Festival. It was later announced on April 13, 2021, that the film would be released in some theaters and video-on-demand services on June 4, 2021, with a DVD and Blu-ray release following on June 8, 2021.
Flashback ending explained
In the movie, the character Fred has two important events approaching - his final exam as a teenager and a big presentation as an adult. However, during both events, he becomes overwhelmed and behaves erratically before rewinding time to before the events occurred. He then goes back even further in time to a party where a girl named Cindy disappeared. In this new reality, Fred chooses to follow her, and the story then shows different versions of their lives together. In the current reality, they are living as drug addicts in a dilapidated building, and Fred goes dumpster diving to try to find something to sell or more drugs. He finds a necklace that he gives to Cindy, but it breaks, triggering a memory of breaking his mother's figurines when he was a child.
Fred goes to visit his dying mother in the hospital and has a realization that she is the inspiration for the mouth he has been drawing. Although he initially associated the mouth with a monster, he remembers how his mother only yelled at him to prevent him from getting hurt as a baby. They share a touching moment, and then Fred once again returns to his memory of the party with Cindy. This time, he tells her that he needs to stop chasing her, and she agrees. As a result, he takes a different path and ends up meeting Karen, who becomes his girlfriend and the mother of his child. He excels at his presentation and the movie ends with Fred back at the hospital with his mother, who passes away. Flashbacks show images of his mother holding him as a child and then one last time as he crawls into her arms.
Flashback movie explained
The movie Flashback starts with time functioning in a regular linear way, with moments moving from point A to point B to point C. However, as the story progresses, time begins to diverge, with moments from different points in Fred's life existing simultaneously. For example, he is both his 17-year-old self and his 30-year-old self. The drug Merc, which is short for Mercury, is credited with opening up Fred’s mind to perceive time in a non-linear way.
The breakdown of time becomes especially apparent when Fred chooses to follow Cindy. We see many years of their lives together, but they all seem to be happening in the same moment and time. Fred also frequently jumps back and forth between his childhood, his teenage years, and his adult self. However, in the Flashback ending, time appears to return to its linear form.
In an interview with Starburst Magazine, director Christopher MacBride explained that time is one of the first things people learn at a very young age. They learn that x and y lead to z. This is why Fred continues to see his mother's mouth whenever he is about to stray away from his path. This phenomenon also occurs whenever authority figures tell him what to do. At first, Fred sees this as something holding him back from exploring time and his life in a new way. However, he eventually realizes that his mother is not a monster but someone who is trying to protect him.
The nonlinear structure of the movie allows viewers to experience time in a different way. It demonstrates how memories and experiences from different points in our lives can overlap and influence our present and future selves. By using the drug Merc as a catalyst for this nonlinear experience, the movie raises questions about the nature of time and how it can be perceived. Ultimately, the Flashback ending brings closure to the story and suggests that even though time can be complex and nonlinear, it is possible to find a sense of continuity and coherence in our lives.
Flashback summary
Flashback is a psychological thriller that centers on Fred, a man approaching his thirties who questions his life choices while grappling with his mother's diagnosis. The film largely unfolds in a linear fashion, with deviations only occurring when Fred reflects on his past or experiences the effects of Merc. This is hinted at early on in the film, as the first flashback to Fred's high school years happens when he dozes off in his car and wakes up sometime later. Later, when Fred is in bed with his fiancée Karen, he apologizes for his mind wandering off, suggesting that the prior scene with Fred as a teenager is simply the result of him being lost in his memories.
One of the strongest indications that Flashback's scenes may be products of Fred's imagination is towards the end of the film. When Fred is asked to deliver an important presentation at work that he's unprepared for, he rapidly loses his composure and begins to yell at others in the room. Security has to restrain him, but just as it looks like he'll be forcibly thrown out of the meeting, the camera cuts to Fred at his desk. Although he's late for the meeting, it hasn't started yet, and his boss, Evelyn, looks at him angrily, wondering why he's just standing around.
This scene, along with others in the film, suggests that some of the scenes are merely Fred's imagination of how things could happen, rather than being a distinct timeline of its own. Flashback is a complex exploration of memory, perception, and the nature of reality, and the nonlinear structure of the film allows viewers to question what is real and what is imagined. Fred's journey to understand his past and present is full of twists and turns, and the film's final moments leave viewers questioning everything they thought they knew. Flashback is a gripping thriller that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats and leave them pondering the nature of memory and reality long after the credits roll.
Flashback ending explained - FAQs
Flashback is a psychological thriller that follows Fred, a man approaching his thirties who questions his life choices while grappling with his mother's diagnosis. The film explores the themes of memory, perception, and the nature of reality.
Flashback was written and directed by Christopher MacBride.
The film stars Dylan O'Brien as Fred, Hannah Gross as Karen, and Maika Monroe as Cindy.
The film premiered at the 2020 Sitges Film Festival and was later released in select theaters and on video-on-demand services on June 4, 2021. It was followed by a DVD and Blu-ray release on June 8, 2021.
No, Flashback is an original screenplay written by Christopher MacBride.