Activity 3.9
January 23,2026
Instructions:
Complete the individual research below:
. Use the internet to search and locate two non-linear texts. These can be films or TV shows.
. Research how the story has been told in a non-linear way. What different storytelling techniques have been used?
To review your learning/findings:
. Share your findings with a partner.
. Make note of each other's work.
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By now you should have four examples of non-linear narratives.
My Response: Partner being Scarlett
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An example of a non-liner narrative can be seen in the film “Finestkind” where viewers are expected to experience multiple storylines and characters at the same time. Producers use technical elements like flashbacks, parallel narratives, and quick shifts between different time periods and locations. Moreover, all narratives tie together and provide a cohesive conclusion at the end of the movie.
• Another example of film using a non-linear narrative is in “Crash” in which a very fragmented timeline is used to reveal characteristics and build tension amongst the audience. A series of jump cuts are used to transition between different times and spaces, such as each character taking part in separate actions to help viewers piece together each incident.
My Partners Finding:
• In the movie "Memento", they use nonlinear narrative by using different
shades of color like black and white to show flashbacks in time that give
context to the main characters' actions by showing us his past. While the
main character searches to find his wife who was murdered- a series of
flashbacks occur to represent the main character experiencing amnesia
allowing the audience to feel what he is feeling as he tries to figure out the mystery. This shows the movie goes out of chronological order, making it a nonlinear narrative.
• Another film with a non-liner narrative is "Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind". This movie uses flashbacks, flash-forwards, and mise-en-scene to create emotional depth between the main characters' relationships with themselves and each other. This allows the story to be told in a non-linear narrative by showing the past and the future in present time.