Cross My Heart (2017) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Manon decides to kidnap Mrs. Robinson because she overhears adults talking about placing her and her brother Mimi in foster care, which would separate them. Desperate to keep her family together and feeling that no one listens to children, she concludes that taking action, including kidnapping an elderly woman to create a 'grandmother', might force adults to pay attention to their situation.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Manon writes her own manifesto about children's rights after feeling neglected amid the FLQ political turmoil, establishing her belief that children must take matters into their own hands.

• manon
• mrs robinson
• kidnapping
• foster care
• children's rights

The police suspect Paul because he is Gaston's son and known to have revolutionary literature in his possession. Since the ransom note was signed 'Family Cell,' investigators initially assume the kidnapping relates to FLQ activity, making Paul, who is already involved in political activism, a convenient suspect despite not being involved.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Gaston clashes with his revolutionary son Paul about the FLQ, and Manon struggles to understand whether the movement is good or bad, planting the idea that political and family tensions could intertwine.

• paul
• police
• suspicion
• flq
• family cell

The children cannot get Mrs. Robinson's medication because the pharmacist refuses to fill a Montreal prescription in a small town near Saint-Zénon. Additionally, the language barrier makes it difficult for the French-speaking children to explain the emergency. When the pharmacist sees newspaper coverage of missing children, he recognizes Manon and Martin and alerts authorities.

Foreshadowing: The language gap between Mrs. Robinson (English-speaking) and the children (French-speaking) was established immediately upon arrival at the cabin, making every basic transaction fraught with difficulty.

• medication
• pharmacy
• language barrier
• prescription
• montreal

At the cabin, Mrs. Robinson wakes up confused and unable to communicate with the children because she speaks only English while they speak French. She begins experiencing heart issues and requires medication. The situation escalates when they discover the medication is running low and they cannot obtain a refill, ultimately leading to her suffering a heart attack that requires an ambulance.

Foreshadowing: The plan was presented to Mimi as getting a 'grandmother,' but the reality of caring for an elderly, frightened woman with medical needs quickly surpasses the children's limited abilities.

• mrs robinson
• cabin
• heart attack
• communication
• elderly

Manon and Mimi escape because a social worker accidentally leaves Mimi's new foster home address and the keys to the juvenile detention center in front of Manon. Manon uses the keys to unlock her way out, locates Mimi at his foster home, and the two siblings flee together into the night, planning to walk toward Disneyland.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Manon promises Mimi they will go to Disneyland, giving them both a goal to cling to after all their hardship.

• escape
• keys
• social worker
• foster home
• disneyland

Manon and Mimi's father dies in mid-to-late November 1970, after the children have been apprehended and the kidnapping scheme has collapsed. His death occurs as the family faces the aftermath of the crisis, adding another layer of grief to an already devastating situation.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes early on that Manon's father is battling cancer, making his eventual death a tragic but foreshadowed outcome.

• father death
• cancer
• family
• grief

Mrs. Robinson attends the funeral of Manon and Mimi's father as a moment of unexpected closure. Despite being their hostage and victim of their crime, she chooses to show respect for the family that held her, perhaps recognizing the desperate circumstances and genuine love between the siblings that motivated their actions.

Foreshadowing: The dynamic at the cabin, though tense, showed moments where the children tried to care for Mrs. Robinson rather than simply restrain her, hinting at a complex bond that transcends the kidnapping.

• funeral
• mrs robinson
• closure
• reconciliation

Paul is arrested in connection with the kidnapping when the police finally locate him, and the federal government invokes the War Measures Act, expanding the crackdown across Quebec. Though he was not actually involved in the children's plan, he becomes a casualty of the broader political repression surrounding the October Crisis.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Paul is shown arguing with his father Gaston about revolutionary politics, and the police initially focus on him because of his known political affiliations.

• paul
• arrest
• war measures act
• october crisis

Manon writes her own manifesto about children's rights after feeling neglected and unheard while the adults around her are absorbed in the FLQ Crisis and family struggles. She sees the political movements debating rights and decides children should have a voice too, penning a personal declaration that reflects her growing sense of injustice and need for agency.

Foreshadowing: The FLQ Manifesto flashing across the news creates a household debate, and Manon's confusion about whether the movement is 'good' or 'bad' drives her to create her own statement of rights.

• manifesto
• children's rights
• flq
• voice
• politics

The children sign the ransom note as 'Family Cell' to make the kidnapping appear connected to the FLQ, believing this would lend credibility to their demand and attract attention. They deliberately omit any mention of foster care in the first communique to maintain the facade of a simple political gesture rather than a desperate family plea.

Foreshadowing: Manon's confusion about the FLQ, wondering if they are 'good' or 'bad', shows she simultaneously fears and is intrigued by the power of political activism, leading her to imitate their style.

• family cell
• ransom note
• flq
• kidnapping plan

At the end of the movie, Manon and Mimi are walking toward Disneyland, having escaped their foster care placements in the middle of the night. The destination represents their dream of a normal, happy life together, a symbol of hope and childhood joy after all the trauma they endured during the October Crisis.

Foreshadowing: Manon promises Mimi they will go to Disneyland earlier in the film, and this promise sustains them through the kidnapping scheme, their capture, and their separation.

• disneyland
• escape
• future
• hope
• children