Ares (2016) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Reda agreed to take the HSX drug because his sister Carla was framed for terrorism and faced imprisonment. Altman offered to secure Carla's release in exchange for €100,000, a sum Reda could only earn by participating in the dangerous HSX drug trial. The drug promised to enhance his fighting abilities enough to survive the trials, though it would trigger a five-minute blackout that could erase his memory of what followed.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes establish that Altman has leverage over Reda through his employment in the corporate security apparatus, making refusal difficult.

• hsx drug
• reda
• carla
• altman
• trial
• prison

Carla was framed for illegal pistol possession and branded a terrorist. While the specific details of who orchestrated the framing aren't fully explained in the film, Boris later provides evidence implicating Reda's coach in the machinations, suggesting the framing was part of a larger corporate scheme to pressure Reda into compliance with the HSX program.

Foreshadowing: The film's early establishment of Altman's control over Reda hints that her arrest serves a calculated purpose.

• carla
• framed
• terrorist
• altman
• coach

Reda deliberately lost his second fight to preserve the HSX drug for a more significant purpose. Rather than taking the drug himself, he saved it to give to his coach, who had been financially ruined by the fallout from Reda's earlier victory being dismissed as a fluke. This act revealed Reda's strategic thinking, he used the loss to manipulate the drug's availability while maintaining his moral reasoning.

Foreshadowing: The film hints at Reda's resourcefulness earlier when he navigates corporate pressure and manages to secure his niece's release from police custody.

• reda
• fight
• hsx
• coach
• thrown
• defeat

Reda committed suicide because he knew his nieces would never be safe as long as he lived as the test subject who could expose the corporation. With the five-minute HSX window about to expire and his bodyguards dead, he chose to sacrifice himself to ensure the children's protection and to prevent Altman or the corporation from using them as leverage. His death also became a catalyst for exposing the HSX scandal to the public.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes establish that Altman values money over personal relationships, making the threat to the children credible and immediate.

• reda
• suicide
• children
• nieces
• altman
• sacrifice

HSX was an experimental pharmaceutical drug designed to maximize a fighter's biochemistry, enhancing strength and endurance to superhuman levels. It was dangerous because the trials had catastrophic results, over 30,000 people died during the testing phase. The drug also caused a five-minute blackout, erasing the user's memory of actions taken while under its influence, effectively making users unaware participants in potentially violent events.

Foreshadowing: The early scenes establish that doping and human experimentation have been legalized in this dystopian France, setting the stage for corporate abuse.

• hsx
• drug
• trials
• dangerous
• death
• experimentation

Carla died in prison while attempting to defend another inmate. Despite Reda winning his fight and earning enough money to potentially secure her release, she did not survive long enough to benefit from his efforts. Her death highlights the brutal reality of the prison system in this world and underscores the human cost of corporate experimentation.

Foreshadowing: The timeline shows Carla dies shortly after Reda's victory, preventing her liberation despite his sacrifice.

• carla
• prison
• death
• inmate

Boris and Myosotis rescued Carla's children by working together after Myosotis grew suspicious of Altman's intentions. When Anna warned Reda that Altman planned to kidnap the children, Myosotis recruited Boris's hacking talents to uncover the threat. They then staged a climactic intervention that resulted in Altman's death and the children's safe extraction from corporate control.

Foreshadowing: Myosotis's initial suspicion of Reda's 'gratitude' phone call triggers the investigation that reveals Altman's true plans.

• boris
• myosotis
• children
• kidnap
• rescue
• altman

The nationwide riots were triggered when Boris hijacked advertising and media displays to broadcast the truth about HSX drug trials, revealing that over 30,000 people had died and exposing Reda's death in the process. The revelation of corporate crimes against the population ignited mass outrage, transforming individual tragedy into a public uprising against corporate domination.

Foreshadowing: The film's meta notes establish that resistance against corporate power is a central theme, with the ending serving as the catalyst for change.

• riots
• boris
• exposed
• corporate
• hsx
• death

Reda gave the HSX drug to his coach because the coach had been financially ruined when the corporation dismissed Reda's earlier victory as a fluke, causing HSX sales to tumble. Rather than using the drug himself in the second fight, Reda chose to administer it to his coach, who died quickly after the injection, a tragic outcome that demonstrates the drug's lethal nature outside of controlled conditions.

Foreshadowing: The coach's earlier refusal to bet on Reda hints at their complicated relationship and the coach's precarious financial position.

• reda
• coach
• hsx
• drug
• injection
• death

The corporate bodyguards, genetically engineered arena-fighter clones, initially gained an advantage over Reda but were ordered to spare him. The board calculated that killing Reda would eliminate their valuable test subject and hinder ongoing drug trials. This hesitation allowed Reda the window he needed to help Boris hack the mainframe and expose the corporation's crimes.

Foreshadowing: The bodyguards' initial orders from Anna establish that Reda was meant to remain alive for the demonstration.

• bodyguards
• clones
• spared
• reda
• board
• experiment

Myosotis served as a crucial ally by caring for Carla's children and later joining the resistance against the corporation. Despite a rocky history with Reda, who she believed to be a fascist, she agreed to help for the children's sake. Her suspicion of Altman's intentions led her to recruit Boris, and together they executed the rescue of the children and the elimination of Altman.

Foreshadowing: Myosotis's initial refusal to trust Reda establishes her as a cautious but ultimately loyal character driven by concern for the children.

• myosotis
• children
• resistance
• boris
• ally

Altman planned to kidnap Carla's children as leverage against Reda, demonstrating that her loyalty to money eclipsed any personal care. Anna explained to Reda that Altman would use the children to ensure his continued compliance with the corporate agenda, treating them as assets rather than innocent lives.

Foreshadowing: Altman's earlier actions establish her as a ruthless corporate agent who instrumentalizes people for profit.

• altman
• kidnap
• children
• leverage
• money