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Jupiter’s Moon (2017) movie poster

Timeline

Jupiter’s Moon (2017) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2017 · 129 mins · Hungarian
Directed by
Kornél Mundruczó
Starring
Merab Ninidze, Tamás Szabó Kimmel, Máté Mészáros, György Cserhalmi, Natasa Stork, Zsolt Nagy

A young refugee named Aryan is injured while attempting to cross the Hungarian border. While being cared for at a refugee camp, a doctor notices Aryan has developed an unusual ability – he can levitate. The doctor then smuggles Aryan out, planning to exploit his newfound power for personal gain.

On this page (4)
  1. 1 Events in order (12)
  2. 2 Timeline questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Every angle

12 events in order · contains spoilers

Jupiter’s Moon Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Jupiter’s Moon (2017) 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. The border crossing chaos and separation

    The refugees attempt to cross the Hungarian border by boat as border guards close in, and papers get lost in the confusion. Aryan and his father are separated from the rest of the group during the chaos. This moment sets off a perilous pursuit that frames the story ahead.

    When
    during the border crossing
    Where
    Hungarian border crossing by boat
  2. Aryan shot and levitates, shocking the ward

    Aryan is shot several times by a police officer named László, but he miraculously begins to levitate. The ability grips everyone as he crashes back to earth, leaving him alive but traumatized. He is brought to the refugee camp's hospital ward for treatment.

    When
    immediately after the shooting
    Where
    border area and refugee camp hospital ward
  3. Gábor witnesses Levitation and plans an escape

    Dr. Gábor Stern, working at the ward, witnesses Aryan’s levitation when he tries to examine him. Shocked and intrigued, he helps Aryan flee the camp and outlines a plan to take him to Budapest. He envisions using Aryan’s talents to attract patients and promises to share profits and help find Aryan’s father later.

    When
    soon after the shooting
    Where
    refugee camp hospital ward
  4. Gábor expands the scheme with Vera

    Having lost his hospital job due to malpractice, Gábor starts selling medical referrals to refugees to move them from the camp to a Budapest hospital. Vera, his girlfriend and fellow doctor, assists in the scheme. They exploit desperate people to make money.

    When
    after the ward encounter
    Where
    hospital ward / clinic
  5. A refugee uses Aryan’s father’s stolen papers

    Gábor sells one of the referrals to a refugee who uses the Dashnis’ stolen documents, borrowing Aryan’s father’s name. The scam deepens as documents are misused and identities are shuffled for profit. The connection between Aryan’s family and the refugee network grows more dangerous.

    When
    soon after item 4
    Where
    refugee ward
  6. Aryan’s father drowns in the border crossing

    It’s revealed that Aryan’s father is among the many refugees who drowned during the chaotic crossing. The loss solidifies Aryan’s vulnerability and the stakes for everyone involved in the scheme. The tragedy compounds the moral weight on Gábor’s growing exploitation.

    When
    between items 5 and 7
    Where
    border crossing / river
  7. Aryan’s levitation confirms his abilities and a risky plan forms

    Gábor returns to Aryan in the ward and witnesses the boy levitating again. He proposes taking Aryan to Budapest to act as a spiritual healer, with Gábor managing the operation and sharing earnings. The aim is to fund their plans and search for Aryan’s father later.

    When
    after item 6
    Where
    refugee camp hospital ward
  8. The healing business takes off while Laszlo closes in

    The first healing sessions are successful, drawing paying clients and generating significant cash. László, who knows about Aryan’s powers, closes in with police assistance, but Vera helps them evade capture and stay ahead for the moment. The risk grows as their scheme expands.

    When
    shortly after item 7
    Where
    make-shift clinic / hidden operation
  9. Aryan heads to Keleti station; a terrorist link emerges

    Aryan travels to Budapest’s Keleti railway station, where a refugee who stole their papers is connected to a terrorist plot to bomb the Budapest Metro. Aryan follows the connection as Gábor loses contact with him amid the chaos. The seeds of tragedy are sown.

    When
    after item 8
    Where
    Budapest Keleti railway station
  10. Subway bombing and the rooftop escape

    The terrorist detonates a bomb in the subway, killing dozens in a shockwave of chaos. Aryan survives and floats up to the roof of a nearby building, where a shocked woman gazes up in awe. The city reels from the attack and Aryan’s floating ability becomes a symbol of mystery.

    When
    during the bombing
    Where
    Budapest Metro and surrounding buildings
  11. Gábor seeks atonement and finds Aryan on a rooftop

    Grief-stricken, Gábor tries to make amends by returning money to the family of the man his malpractice killed, but they refuse. He overhears a prayer for an angel who flew to the sky and realizes Aryan is on a roof. He locates Aryan and brings him back toward safety with Vera’s help.

    When
    after item 10
    Where
    victim’s family home / hospital roof
  12. Hotel chase ends in tragedy and awe

    The pair take refuge in a hotel, but Laszlo captures Gábor and heads toward Aryan’s room. Gábor overpowers a policeman to free Aryan, but is shot in the struggle. In a final act, Aryan flies away as a fire alarm erupts; Gábor dies, and the crowd outside looks skyward in wonder at the miraculous escape.

    When
    final
    Where
    hotel in Budapest

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 13:05

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Timeline questions answered

Jupiter’s Moon Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Jupiter’s Moon (2017): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does Aryan start levitating after being shot?

Aryan begins levitating immediately after being shot multiple times by police officer László at the Hungarian border. The levitation appears to be triggered by the traumatic near-death experience, though the film leaves the exact mechanism mysterious. Rather than dying from his wounds, Aryan floats upward before crashing back to earth, surviving despite the gunshot injuries.

  • aryan levitation
  • powers
  • shooting
  • supernatural ability
Q2

Why does Dr. Gábor help Aryan escape the refugee camp?

Gábor helps Aryan escape primarily to exploit his levitation ability for financial gain. After witnessing Aryan float in the hospital ward, Gábor sees an opportunity to use the boy as a spiritual healer in Budapest, attracting paying patients and splitting the profits. Gábor also promises to help Aryan find his father, though this promise is partly manipulative.

  • gabor stern
  • exploitation
  • escape
  • healing scheme
Q3

How does Gábor's medical referral scheme work?

Gábor sells fraudulent medical referrals to refugees, allowing them to be transferred from the border camp to a Budapest hospital. Once in Budapest, the refugees can disappear and continue their journey toward Western Europe. Gábor profits from each referral while Vera, his girlfriend and fellow doctor, assists in processing the paperwork. This scam exploits desperate people fleeing war.

  • referrals
  • scam
  • refugees
  • budapest hospital
Q4

Why does the Budapest Metro bombing happen?

The bombing occurs because a refugee who stole the Dashni family's papers uses Aryan's father's identity to carry out a terrorist attack on the Budapest Metro. This terrorist act kills dozens of people. The stolen documents link Aryan to the plot, making authorities believe he is one of the bombers.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, a refugee uses the stolen Dashni papers bearing Aryan's father's name, creating the dangerous identity connection.

  • terrorist attack
  • metro bombing
  • stolen papers
  • bombing
Q5

How does Aryan survive the subway bombing?

During the Metro bombing, Aryan survives by levitating. When the explosive device detonates, he floats upward through the chaos and rises to the roof of a nearby building. A woman on the street witnesses him floating upward, leading to rumors of an angel.

  • aryan survives
  • float
  • roof
  • bombing escape
Q6

Why does Vera call the police on Gábor and Aryan?

Vera betrays Gábor and Aryan because the terrorist used the Dashni family's stolen papers, making authorities believe Aryan is one of the Metro bombers. When Gábor brings the wounded Aryan back to the hospital seeking Vera's help, she contacts the police rather than assist them, believing Aryan to be a dangerous terrorist suspect.

  • vera betrayal
  • police
  • terrorist suspect
  • aryan
Q7

How does Gábor die at the end of the film?

Gábor is shot during the final hotel confrontation with László. After overpowering a police officer to free Aryan and triggering a fire alarm to create a distraction, Gábor is shot in the struggle. He uses his final moments to hold László at gunpoint, giving Aryan enough time to jump through a window and fly away before dying.

  • gabor death
  • shot
  • hotel
  • sacrifice
Q8

What happens to Aryan's father in the film?

Aryan's father drowns during the chaotic border crossing when the refugees attempt to cross the Hungarian border by boat. He is among many who perish in the water when the crossing goes wrong and papers are lost. Gábor discovers this information while running his referral scheme but keeps it from Aryan, who continues searching for his father throughout the film.

Foreshadowing: The border crossing chaos and separation establishes the deadly conditions that claim Aryan's father.

  • father death
  • drowning
  • border crossing
  • drowned
Q9

Why does Gábor seek forgiveness from the victim's family?

Gábor seeks forgiveness after learning that Aryan's father has died and believing Aryan may have died in the bombing. Filled with remorse for exploiting a vulnerable child, Gábor tries to return the money he earned from his schemes to the family of the young athlete he killed through malpractice during a surgery. When they refuse the money, he sincerely asks for forgiveness before leaving.

  • remorse
  • forgiveness
  • malpractice
  • victim family
Q10

What does the ending mean when everyone looks up?

At the film's conclusion, hundreds of people in Budapest look upward in awe as Aryan escapes through the window and flies away. The ending is bittersweet, Aryan achieves a miraculous escape and finds hope through his ability, but at the cost of Gábor's life. The crowd witnessing his flight represents wonder and hope amid the tragedy, though the pursuit remains unresolved and the human toll remains heavy.

  • ending
  • crowd
  • escape
  • flying
  • hope

Movie threads

More Movies Like Jupiter’s Moon, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Jupiter’s Moon tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies with Supernatural Powers in Real-World Turmoil like Jupiter’s Moon

Extraordinary abilities emerge within oppressive, harsh, and desperate worlds. If you liked the blend of levitation and refugee crisis drama in Jupiter’s Moon, explore these movies where supernatural abilities intersect with harsh realities, dystopias, or social turmoil. Find similar sci-fi stories grounded in gritty realism.

  • miraculous
  • gritty
  • desperate
  • tense
  • oppressive
  • tragic
  • Tone: dark, tense, desperate
  • Pacing: fast, relentless
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread often begin with the discovery of a fantastical ability in a character facing dire circumstances. This power becomes both a curse and a potential key to survival, typically drawing the attention of those who wish to exploit it, leading to high-stakes chases and moral dilemmas.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here by their core premise: a realistic, often dark setting is disrupted by a single supernatural event or ability. They share a tone that balances miraculous wonder with the weight of real-world problems like corruption, poverty, or persecution.

Thrillers of Exploitation and Redemption like Jupiter’s Moon

A cynical character exploits a vulnerable one, leading to an unexpected path of redemption. For viewers who appreciated the complex dynamic between the doctor and Aryan in Jupiter’s Moon, this collection features thrillers and dramas about cynical characters who exploit others but find an unexpected path to redemption through danger and sacrifice.

  • desperate
  • tense
  • tragic
  • redemptive
  • morally complex
  • gritty
  • Tone: dark, tragic, bittersweet
  • Pacing: fast, tense
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern revolves around a flawed protagonist who initiates a transactional, exploitative relationship. As external pressures mount and danger increases, the initial cynicism is challenged by moments of connection and responsibility, culminating in a pivotal choice where the exploiter must become the protector, often at great personal cost.

Why they belong together: These movies share a powerful character-driven arc focused on moral awakening. They are united by a dark tone, high tension from the central unstable relationship, and a bittersweet emotional core where redemption is achieved through sacrifice.

Every angle

Jupiter’s Moon (2017) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Jupiter’s Moon 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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