Narrative technique · used in 1 film

Time Dilation as Emotional Distance

Using the real physics idea that time passes at different speeds in different gravity to separate characters. They end up living at different rates, which pulls them apart.

Examples

Where you can see it

  1. Interstellar (2014) poster

    Interstellar

    Christopher Nolan · 2014

    1 hour on Miller's water planet equals 7 years on Earth. Cooper watches his children age in video messages while almost no time passes for him. Here, the physics of the universe is what forces an unbearable separation between a parent and his children, so the science plays as tragedy.

    Where to see it: Cooper watching 23 years of stored-up messages from his children. This happens after he returns from Miller's planet.

Questions

Quick answers

What is time dilation as emotional distance in film?
Using the real physics idea that time passes at different speeds in different gravity to separate characters. They end up living at different rates, which pulls them apart.
Which films use time dilation as emotional distance?
Interstellar (2014).
What kind of technique is time dilation as emotional distance?
It is a narrative technique. Related narrative techniques include Symbolic Object, Observational Restraint, Earned Catharsis.

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