Everything Before Us (2015) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Ben is denied a job at Origin because his relationship score is too low. In the world of the film, the Department of Emotional Integrity issues scores that directly determine access to employment opportunities. Sara, with a higher relationship score, is able to secure a business loan for her cafe while Ben's low score blocks him from career advancement.

Foreshadowing: The opening scenes establish that relationship scores function as a social currency that gates opportunities throughout the story.

• relationship score
• origin
• job denial
• dei
• employment

Ben and Sara visit the D.E.I. together because Henry suggests they leverage their shared history to boost both their scores. The system rewards paired relationships, so visiting together can raise their numbers. They reconcile and agree to share 50-50 responsibility for their past relationship, which sufficiently raises Ben's score to land him the designer position at Origin.

Foreshadowing: This decision directly leads to Ben's professional comeback and sets up the later complications with Anna.

• dei
• relationship score
• reconciliation
• ben
• sara

Sara loses her cafe because D.E.I. agents investigate a fraudulent relationship she used to artificially boost her score after breaking up with Ben. The investigation destabilizes her standing, and her score plummets, resulting in the loss of her business. This exposes how the scoring system punishes people who try to work around its rules.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Sara securing the loan thanks to her high score, making this reversal even more impactful.

• dei investigation
• fraudulent relationship
• cafe
• sara
• score drop

Ben loses his job at Origin after his relationship with Anna becomes compromised. When Anna discovers Ben kissed Sara at the cafe, she warns him it could jeopardize his position. The subsequent fallout from this love triangle damages Ben's standing at the company, and he is let go, showing how personal relationship troubles directly translate to professional consequences in this society.

Foreshadowing: The kiss scene is set up by Ben offering to paint the mural, a seemingly innocent act that leads to complicated emotions.

• origin
• job loss
• ben
• anna
• kiss
• relationship

Haley breaks up with Seth over the phone as he heads to the airport to visit her. She cites his pushiness and lack of regard for her choices, specifically his plans to transfer to her city and his reaction to her studying abroad in London. The long-distance strain and his attempts to control the relationship's trajectory lead her to end it definitively.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Haley pulling away from Seth, prioritizing friends over him and keeping her London plans secret.

• seth
• haley
• breakup
• long-distance
• college
• independence

Randall shares Ben's testimony with Sara despite breaking policy because he is moved by Ben's honest account of love and his critique of the D.E.I. system. Ben argues that love and relationships cannot be reduced to simplified rituals and scores. This act of defiance helps shield Sara from further damage from the investigation, showing that some officials within the system recognize its flaws.

Foreshadowing: Randall has been shown as a recurring D.E.I. agent who tracks relationships, making his betrayal of protocol more significant.

• randall
• testimony
• dei
• ben
• sara
• policy

When Sara returns to what was her cafe, she finds Ben finishing the mural he had offered to paint. Instead of holding a grudge over the kiss and its consequences, they resume painting together, a pair of sails, signifying their renewed connection and willingness to work on their relationship despite the system's pressures.

Foreshadowing: Ben's offer to paint the mural during the soft opening was the initial trigger for the kiss that complicated everything.

• mural
• sara
• ben
• reconciliation
• cafe
• sails

The Department of Emotional Integrity issues relationship scores that determine how people are treated in society. High scores provide access to better jobs, loans, and social opportunities, while low scores limit prospects. The D.E.I. monitors romantic relationships, tracks long-distance agreements, and investigates fraudulent attempts to boost scores artificially.

Foreshadowing: The entire film uses this system as the backdrop that drives characters' choices and consequences.

• dei
• relationship score
• system
• emotional integrity
• social standing

Seth and Haley's long-distance relationship fails because of distance, independence issues, and poor communication. Haley becomes increasingly distant, prioritizing her new college friends over Seth. She also keeps her plans to study abroad in London secret. Seth responds by considering a transfer to be closer to her, which she interprets as controlling, exactly the opposite of what she wants.

Foreshadowing: Their registration with Randall at the D.E.I. foreshadows the strain that distance and official oversight place on their relationship.

• seth
• haley
• long-distance
• fail
• college
• breakup

Ben kisses Sara at her cafe late at night after a few drinks. The kiss happens during an emotionally charged moment, Ben had just offered to paint a mural for her, showing lingering feelings. While Sara initially seems receptive, she quickly realizes it's a mistake and runs out, demonstrating the complexity of their unresolved history.

Foreshadowing: Their earlier reconciliation at the D.E.I. was fragile, and the kiss reveals those feelings were still unsettled.

• ben
• sara
• kiss
• cafe
• drinks
• mural

In the mid-credits scene, Henry and his wife Sandy take out a loan for a bakery, presumably with Sara's involvement. This suggests Sara is helping them behind the scenes despite losing her own cafe, and it hints at future ventures built on the relationships and financial connections established throughout the story.

Foreshadowing: Henry was the one who initially nudged Ben toward visiting the D.E.I. with Sara, showing his supportive role in their circle.

• henry
• sandy
• bakery
• loan
• mid-credits
• sara