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Here and Now (2018) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2018 · 91 min · English
Echo score 75
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Directed by
Fabien Constant
Starring
Common, Renée Zellweger, Sarah Jessica Parker, Phillipa Soo, Jacqueline Bisset, Doris McCarthy

Renowned singer-songwriter Vivienne faces unexpected news that disrupts her life and forces her to re-evaluate her priorities. Set against the backdrop of New York City, she juggles a demanding music career with complex family relationships and past romances. Seeking support, she relies on her witty mother and trusted manager as she navigates this challenging period.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (14)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Here and Now
  6. 6 Every angle
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14 events in order · contains spoilers

Here and Now Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Here and Now (2018) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Diagnosis revealed: terminal brain tumor

    The film opens with Vivienne's eyes as she learns from Dr. Marianne Holt that she has a terminal brain tumor. She processes the diagnosis with a mix of fear and resolve, which casts a weighty context over everything that follows. The moment marks a turning point from ambition to fragile mortality.

    When
    Day 1
    Where
    New York City – medical clinic
  2. Wandering through New York after the diagnosis

    Vivienne walks aimlessly through the city, trying to digest her prognosis and what the future might hold. She takes several phone calls from her mother Jeanne, who pushes for answers and reassurance. The urban landscape mirrors her unsettled state of mind.

    When
    Day 1
    Where
    New York City
  3. Rehearsal and manager's reminder

    She arrives late to the rehearsal and apologizes to her bandmates. Ben, her manager, informs her that she has an interview scheduled right after the rehearsal. The clash between a life-threatening diagnosis and professional obligation adds tension to the scene.

    When
    Day
    Where
    Studio
  4. Connection with Jordan and budding romance

    During the rehearsal, she hugs most of the group but keeps distance from drummer Jordan, hinting at hidden feelings. After rehearsal, he asks her to coffee, which she declines because of the interview. Later, they share a lingering moment on the second floor and begin kissing.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Studio / Jordan's space
  5. Dress purchase and interview

    Before the interview, she buys an expensive dress, signaling an attempt to control her image amid uncertainty. She attends the interview with interviewer Oona, but her distraction is evident and colors the conversation. The encounter underscores how illness shapes her engagements with others.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Clothing store; interview location (NYC)
  6. Lyft ride and mother's questions

    Returning home, Vivienne confronts an intrusive session with her mother Jeanne, who bombards her with questions. She drinks wine, crying over a photo of her daughter Lucie, and reveals the strain of balancing care and career. The emotional tension exposes the vulnerability beneath her public facade.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Home
  7. Dress left in Lyft; Sami returns it

    After a tense moment, she recalls she left her dress in the Lyft and calls Sami to retrieve it. Sami arrives outside the house to deliver the garment, but Vivienne stops him and asks for a ride, leading to a polite but firm rejection. The moment underscores isolation and unresolved longing for connection.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Lyft ride; outside Vivienne's house
  8. Unannounced visit to ex Nick and daughter Lucie

    Vivienne arrives unannounced at Nick's house and is invited to dinner, which she declines. She leaves, continuing to wander, and has a quiet exchange with an older neighbor about life. The encounter intensifies the sense of unfinished business with her family.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Nick's house
  9. Chance reunion with Tessa

    She encounters her old friend Tessa and they discuss their lives before Tessa returns to her birthday party. The brief reunion offers a reminder of past choices and alternate paths. Vivienne continues on her way, carrying the weight of her circumstances.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Street
  10. Stage performance and singing on stage

    Vivienne attends a concert where Jordan plays drums and is invited to sing on stage. She delivers a rendition of a song, and the moment becomes a poignant assertion of living boldly despite illness. The performance deepens her connection to the music and to Jordan.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Stage / Venue
  11. Intimate night with Jordan

    After the performance, she and Jordan share a tender and intense night at his apartment. The encounter embodies a search for normalcy and companionship amid looming mortality. Their connection adds a fragile warmth to her chaotic journey.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Jordan's apartment
  12. Return to Nick and Lucie; regrets

    She rides a Lyft to Nick's house where Lucie appears briefly, and Nick tries to support her while respecting boundaries. Vivienne spends the night in Lucie’s room, haunted by regrets about not being there for her daughter. Nick's tenderness contrasts with Vivienne's internal turmoil.

    When
    Night
    Where
    Nick's house; Lucie's room
  13. Morning after and imminent surgery

    In the morning, she leaves Nick's house to prepare for surgery. She and Sami share a quiet Lyft ride and a coffee stop on her way to the hospital. The routine of travel turns into a countdown toward a life-altering procedure.

    When
    Morning
    Where
    City; Lyft ride; hospital vicinity
  14. Hospital arrival and jewelry removal

    Arriving at the hospital for surgery, she asks Sami to accompany her for coffee outside before the procedure. Once on the hospital bed, she removes her jewelry, signaling a surrender to the gravity of what lies ahead. The scene marks a solemn preparation for surgery and a final pause before the next chapter.

    When
    Morning / Pre-surgery
    Where
    Hospital

Last updated: February 25, 2026 at 08:10

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Timeline questions answered

Here and Now Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Here and Now (2018): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does Vivienne kiss Jordan after turning down his coffee invitation?

Vivienne initially declines Jordan's coffee invitation because she's distracted by her recent diagnosis and committed to the upcoming interview. However, later at the studio, the emotional weight of her situation breaks through her professional distance, and she gives in to the connection she's been suppressing. Their charged kiss represents her seeking comfort and normalcy amid the turmoil of learning she has a terminal illness.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in rehearsal, she hugs everyone but keeps a wary distance from Jordan, hinting at deeper feelings she's trying to suppress.

  • Vivienne
  • Jordan
  • kiss
  • romance
  • comfort
  • terminal illness
Q2

Why does Vivienne visit Nick instead of going straight to see her daughter Lucie?

Vivienne arrives at Nick's house unannounced but declines his dinner invitation, leaving quickly. She's struggling with guilt about being absent from Lucie's life and isn't ready to face her daughter directly. Nick later comes to her, and she eventually spends the night in Lucie's room, watching her sleep. Her indirect approach reflects her fear of confronting the emotional weight of potentially leaving her daughter.

  • Vivienne
  • Nick
  • Lucie
  • daughter
  • guilt
  • visit
Q3

What does Vivienne removing her jewelry at the hospital symbolize?

When Vivienne removes her jewelry before surgery, she's symbolically shedding the trappings of her public persona, her fame, image, and the polished exterior she's maintained throughout the film. This gesture represents her surrender to vulnerability and her readiness to face the surgery as her authentic self, stripped of the defenses she's built through her career.

  • jewelry
  • hospital
  • surgery
  • symbolism
  • vulnerability
  • identity
Q4

Why does Vivienne buy an expensive dress after learning about her tumor?

Vivienne purchases an expensive dress as an attempt to reclaim control over her life after receiving her terminal diagnosis. The impulsive buying represents her searching for something tangible and immediate to grasp in the face of uncertain mortality, seeking normalcy and agency in a world that suddenly feels unmanageable.

  • dress
  • purchase
  • diagnosis
  • control
  • shopping
Q5

Why does Vivienne perform on stage despite being seriously ill?

Vivienne sings "Unfollow the Rules" at Jordan's venue as an act of reclaiming agency in her life. After receiving a terminal diagnosis, performing becomes a way to assert that she still chooses how to spend her time, to live boldly rather than retreat entirely into fear. The performance symbolizes her defiance and commitment to living fully in whatever time remains.

  • performance
  • stage
  • singing
  • Unfollow the Rules
  • live
  • agency
Q6

Why does Vivienne refuse Sami's initial offer of a ride, then later accept one?

When Sami first offers to drive Vivienne after she calls about the dress left in his car, she initially refuses, possibly wanting to maintain independence or not ready for connection. Later, after her emotional evening with Jordan, she deliberately calls Sami again and asks for a ride to Nick's house. This shift shows her changing relationship with accepting help and connection as she moves through her emotional journey.

  • Sami
  • Lyft
  • ride
  • connection
  • independence
Q7

Does Vivienne survive the surgery in the film?

The film ends ambiguously regarding Vivienne's surgery outcome. She arrives at the hospital, removes her jewelry as a symbolic gesture of vulnerability, and prepares for the procedure, but the film cuts to black before revealing whether she survives. The ending emphasizes the uncertainty of mortality rather than providing resolution.

  • surgery
  • survival
  • ending
  • ambiguous
  • hospital
Q8

Why does Vivienne push away her mother Jeanne when she calls?

Vivienne distances herself from her mother's persistent calls and questions because she's not ready to verbalize her diagnosis or face the emotional conversation it would require. Her mother's probing feels intrusive rather than supportive in that moment. However, this tension highlights Vivienne's struggle to open up about her mortality with those closest to her.

  • Jeanne
  • mother
  • call
  • emotional distance
  • diagnosis
Q9

Why does Vivienne spend the night watching Lucie sleep?

Vivienne watches her daughter Lucie sleep as a moment of quiet reckoning with her regrets about absence. Seeing Lucie triggers her realization that she's prioritized her career over family. This scene captures her desire to be present and her fear of not having been present enough, sitting with Lucie becomes an act of compensation and unspoken apology.

  • Lucie
  • sleep
  • regret
  • mother
  • daughter
  • guilt
Q10

Why does Vivienne meet Tessa briefly and then leave?

Vivienne's chance encounter with old friend Tessa reconnects her with a past that felt more certain. However, Tessa leaves for her own birthday party, leaving Vivienne alone again. This brief reunion underscores how Vivienne is now on a different path, one shaped by her diagnosis, and highlights the loneliness of her current situation compared to simpler times.

  • Tessa
  • friend
  • reunion
  • birthday party
  • past

Movie threads

More Movies Like Here and Now, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Here and Now tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies about existential crisis and urban life like Here and Now

Character-driven dramas about confronting life choices in a bustling city. If you liked the reflective mood of Here and Now, explore other movies about life reevaluation set in a city. These dramas focus on characters facing a crisis that forces them to question their career, relationships, and legacy in an urban landscape.

  • introspective
  • melancholic
  • urban
  • loneliness
  • somber
  • regretful
  • Tone: melancholic, contemplative
  • Pacing: steady, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread follow a protagonist, often at a career peak, who encounters a life-altering event (like an illness or personal loss) that forces a methodical audit of their past choices. The narrative unfolds in a steady, linear fashion, focusing on emotional conversations, flashbacks, and quiet moments of regret amidst the city's constant motion.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their shared mood of melancholic introspection and their central theme of a character being forced to re-evaluate their entire life. The urban setting often acts as both a symbol of their achievements and a source of their alienation, creating a specific, heavy atmosphere.

Dramas with ambiguous emotional endings like Here and Now

Stories that end with a mix of hope and sadness, leaving questions unanswered. Fans of the unresolved ending in Here and Now will appreciate these movies. They are heavy dramas where the story concludes on a bittersweet or ambiguous note, reflecting the ongoing nature of grief, regret, and personal change.

  • somber
  • unresolved
  • contemplative
  • heavy
  • bittersweet
  • regretful
  • Tone: somber, bittersweet
  • Pacing: steady, reflective
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative builds towards a climax that is emotional rather than plot-driven, often involving a significant personal decision or a moment of acceptance. The ending deliberately avoids neat closure, leaving the character's future uncertain and allowing the audience to sit with the weight of their journey.

Why they belong together: These films are connected by their emotionally heavy tone and their courageous choice to end without a clear-cut resolution. They share a focus on the process of grappling with difficult truths rather than providing easy answers, creating a powerful and lingering impact.

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Every angle

Here and Now (2018) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Here and Now in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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