If scientists are to be believed — and they probably should be — time travel is really finicky, particularly when it comes to going backwards in time. That’s one thing most Hollywood movies get wrong when tackling time travel stories. For example, a causal loop or the bootstrap paradox — theoretical or not — is not generally factored into how time travel plots work. The term was originally coined by science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein who, coincidentally, is the author of the original book “All You Zombies,” which is what “Predestination” is based on — the movie of focus here.
A bootstrap occurs when an object, snippet of information, or person is sent back in time and is infinitely trapped in a cause-effect loop, because it no longer has a point of origin or start. “The Terminator’s” Skynet is an excellent example of this. The company and technology would never have been invented without the T-800 cybernetic organism parts captured in the past that were originally sent there to stop John Connor. It’s an infinite loop.
As for how it relates to “Predestination,” one of Ethan Hawke’s most overlooked movies, the plot of the film deals with a bootstrap paradox where an intersex male born female goes back in time and impregnates his pre-gender female self. If that sounds confusing, it is a little, but the way it plays out, the main character is stuck in a strange causal loop and it makes for one of the most interesting time travel films you’ll see. The film stars Ethan Hawke, of course, and Sarah Snook. Don’t write it off because of that obtuse and simple description — there’s a lot more going on under the surface in “Predestination,” and it’s a wild ride.
Why is Predestination overlooked?
It’s difficult to say exactly why “Predestination” isn’t more widely known, but it’s likely because it was an independent Australian film released in 2014. There has been a spate of older, overlooked movies seeing a resurgence through modern streaming like Jake Gyllenhaal’s “Ambulance” on Netflix, or the Michael Douglas and Brittany Murphy-led “Don’t Say a Word,” also on Netflix.
“Predestination” premiered globally at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas in March 2014. It saw a general release in early 2015 in the United States, and has a score of 84% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and 75% from users, which is actually quite positive overall. Reviewers note that while the plot “isn’t mind bending,” it’s still “a pace you can follow and is really enjoyable.”
The plot actually centers around an agent traveling through time to find a terrorist named the Fizzle Bomber. In the timeline, the bomber is renowned for several high-profile bombings carried out over the course of years. The mission is to find the bomber, identify them, and stop them before another attack can be carried out. Obviously, the plot diverges a little to weave in the causal loop aspects. When it finally becomes clear what’s happening, the implications are almost as unsettling as those discovered in “Leave the World Behind.” Almost. Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook are both brilliant in this one, Hawke almost as encapsulating as his role in “Moon Knight.” If anything, it’s worth a watch to see if you can follow the time paradox playing out here.
