Narrative technique · used in 3 films
Splitting a film into chapters that each follow a different character's point of view. Events overlap, so a scene you already saw comes back from another side and means something new.
Examples
Zach Cregger · 2022
The film follows Tess, then jumps to a TV actor named AJ, and then goes back to 1982 to show who built the house's secret. Each section changes what you know about the one before. You think you understand the situation, and the next chapter proves you only saw part of it.
Where to see it: The jump to AJ. AJ, the house's owner, travels to Detroit to inspect the house before selling it, finds the tunnel and falls into a pit where Tess is still alive.
Zach Cregger · 2025
Each chapter opens with a title card bearing a character's name, like Justine or Archer. Then the film doubles back and follows that person through the same days. Cregger has cited Magnolia as one inspiration for the structure. Moments you already watched come back from the other side, and each version fills in a gap.
Where to see it: The confrontation between Paul and James. In Paul's chapter, it plays in an ordinary medium shot. In James's chapter, the same cop is shot from a low angle and looks far more threatening.
Guillermo del Toro · 2025
The film is split into Victor's tale and the Creature's tale. In part 1, Victor tells the ship's captain his version, where he is the misunderstood genius. In part 2, the Creature picks up the story and shows you what Victor left out. Your sympathy flips from the maker to the made.
Where to see it: The lab fire. Victor's tale ends with him setting the tower on fire with the Creature inside, and the Creature's tale begins with it surviving the explosion.
Questions