Do You Like Hitchcock? (2005) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Giulio develops this theory after witnessing Sasha and Federica bond over Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train at the video store, where both women attempt to rent the same film simultaneously. The next day, he sees them having a secretive conversation by a fountain. Combined with learning that Sasha's mother was wealthy and that Sasha inherited nearly 1 million euros, Giulio concludes the two women have made a murder pact similar to the one in the Hitchcock film, where two strangers agree to swap killings.

Foreshadowing: The video store scene where both women rent Strangers on a Train plants the Hitchcockian murder-pact idea in Giulio's mind.

• giulio
• sasha
• federica
• strangers on a train
• murder swap
• suspicion

Federica is revealed to be the true killer of Sasha's mother, not Sasha herself. Giulio spots Federica dressed in black near Sasha's apartment after Sasha has been taken into custody, which confirms his theory. The murder was committed with a brass pestle while Sasha was away, making it appear as though Sasha might be responsible.

Foreshadowing: Giulio's early suspicion of Federica, combined with her secretive behavior and the mysterious conversations, hinted at her deeper involvement.

• federica
• killer
• sasha mother
• murder
• real killer

While the film doesn't explicitly spell out every detail, Federica was being blackmailed by her boss for sexual favors due to money she stole from a client. The nearly 1 million euros in Sasha's bank account suggests a financial motive. Federica likely killed Sasha's mother to frame Sasha for the crime, possibly as part of a scheme to either steal the money or eliminate the wealthy widow for financial gain.

Foreshadowing: The discovery of the large sum in Sasha's account provides the financial motive that connects Federica's actions.

• federica
• motive
• money
• blackmail
• financial motive

Andrea attacks Giulio in his apartment, attempting to drown him in the bathtub. During the struggle, Giulio's mother and her fiancé arrive and break down the door. Andrea flees into the street and is fatally hit by a car in a hit-and-run accident, dying outside the apartment building.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Andrea told Giulio that Sasha had asked about him, hinting that Sasha was aware of Giulio's surveillance, suggesting Andrea may have been working with or reporting to someone.

• andrea
• video store clerk
• death
• drown
• hit and run

Sasha is arrested because the police investigation initially points to her as the primary suspect. The murder occurred in her apartment, her mother was a wealthy widow who left Sasha a large inheritance, and the circumstances appear to implicate Sasha. However, Federica is later revealed to be the actual killer, having framed Sasha for the crime.

Foreshadowing: The police questioning of Giulio and the newspaper details about Sasha being an only child of a wealthy widow establish her as the obvious suspect.

• sasha
• arrested
• innocent
• police
• frmed

Giulio breaks his ankle while tailing Federica to her workplace. He climbs onto a building ledge to peer through a window, trying to observe her conversation with her boss. Federica spots him and flees up the ledge, causing Giulio to lose his balance and slide down the balcony, fracturing his ankle in the fall. A doctor later confirms he will need a cast for weeks.

Foreshadowing: This scene escalates from Giulio's earlier passive observation to direct confrontation, marking a turning point in his dangerous obsession.

• giulio
• broken ankle
• fracture
• fall
• tail federica

Federica is being blackmailed by her boss for sexual favors. The blackmail is tied to money Federica stole from a client, creating a coercive arrangement where her boss uses the stolen money as leverage to demand sexual services. This reveals that Federica's motives involve financial desperation and manipulation.

Foreshadowing: Giulio's discovery of this blackmail situation adds a layer of complexity to Federica's character and explains why she might resort to extreme measures.

• federica
• boss
• blackmail
• sexual favors
• stolen money

The Hitchcock film Strangers on a Train serves as the thematic blueprint for Giulio's paranoid theory. In that film, two strangers agree to swap murders. When Giulio sees Sasha and Federica both trying to rent the same film and then having secret conversations, he becomes convinced they have made a similar pact. This creates the central misunderstanding that drives much of the plot's tension, though the reality is more complex than Giulio's theory.

Foreshadowing: The opening scenes at the video store establish this Hitchcock parallel as Giulio's primary lens for interpreting events.

• strangers on a train
• hitchcock
• film reference
• murder pact
• giulio theory

The ending shows a new woman moving into Sasha's former apartment, sitting almost naked on the sofa reading The Window on the Night. This suggests a cyclical nature to the voyeuristic obsession that defined Giulio's character throughout the film. Just as he fixated on Sasha, he now has a new object of desire to watch, implying that the tension between looking and being watched will continue in his life.

Foreshadowing: Giulio's persistent spying on Sasha from his window established his pattern of voyeuristic fixation that the new neighbor perpetuates.

• new neighbor
• ending
• cycle
• voyeurism
• apartment
• sasha

Giulio's mother mentions her new fiancé during the film, which serves as a quiet mirror to the larger themes of trust and deception running through the narrative. In the climax, it is Giulio's mother and her fiancé who arrive just in time to save him from Andrea's drowning attack, breaking down the bathroom door. This subplot reinforces the film's exploration of relationships built on hidden motives and unexpected loyalties.

Foreshadowing: The mother's concern about her fiancé early in the film foreshadows his role as a protector during the violent climax.

• giulio mother
• fiance
• subplot
• trust
• deception

The brass pestle is significant because it is an intimate, household object that suggests the killer had access to Sasha's apartment, pointing to someone close to the household. The fact that it was Sasha's own pestle makes the murder appear more personal and frames Sasha as the logical suspect, which is exactly what Federica likely intended.

Foreshadowing: The choice of weapon connects to the intimate nature of the crime, making it appear as an inside job.

• brass pestle
• murder weapon
• weapon
• household object