Ordinary Love (2020) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Tom visits Debbie's grave because she is their daughter who has already passed away. On the day of Joan's operation, Tom confesses his fear of losing her too, saying he's scared of being left alone without his wife. This reveals the deeper loss they already carry as a couple.

Foreshadowing: Early scenes show them walking past a graveyard, hinting at their history of loss.

• tom
• debbie
• grave
• surgery
• daughter
• loss

Debbie is Joan and Tom's daughter who died before the events of the film. Her death is not fully explained but remains a profound source of grief for both partners, informing Tom's fear of losing Joan to cancer.

• debbie
• daughter
• death
• family
• grief

After Joan's surgery is deemed successful, doctors explain they have removed all visible cancer but still recommend chemotherapy. Joan feels 'cancer-free' means she's cured, while Tom understands it only means the visible signs are gone. This disagreement highlights their different ways of coping with uncertainty.

• cancer-free
• surgery
• chemotherapy
• oncologist
• diagnosis

Tom is devastated by the fish's death because he uses it as a small creature to care for and protect. The fish represents another loss in a life already marked by the death of their daughter, and his tearful reaction shows how Joan's cancer diagnosis has made him hypersensitive to any form of loss.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes early on that Tom is particularly fond of his pet fish, which Joan does not share.

• fish
• tom
• death
• loss
• grief
• pets

Joan removes her wig in the café because wearing it makes her feel false and uncomfortable. During her meeting with Peter, who is also battling terminal cancer, she chooses authenticity over appearance, embracing her bald head as part of her true self during treatment.

Foreshadowing: Joan has been coping with significant hair loss and Tom has shaved her head completely earlier in the story.

• wig
• cafe
• hair loss
• authenticity
• peter

Joan and Tom book a hotel room to find normalcy and romance before her mastectomy. They share a gourmet dinner where Tom explicitly promises to love Joan regardless of her physical changes. This intentional act of intimacy is their way of reaffirming their relationship before the next major surgery.

• hotel
• mastectomy
• intimacy
• love
• surgery
• romance

Tom encounters a man also battling cancer who reassures him that doctors will do everything possible to save Joan. After Joan's mastectomy and chemotherapy, Tom returns to look for this man but finds he has disappeared, likely because the man has died from his own terminal cancer.

Foreshadowing: The stranger is introduced as someone facing terminal cancer, creating an ominous context for his later absence.

• smoking man
• cancer
• chemotherapy clinic
• hospital
• death

Joan and Tom invite Steve, Peter's partner, to Christmas because they want to include him during the holidays after Peter died. This gesture shows their desire to build new connections and extend their family after experiencing profound loss together.

Foreshadowing: Steve delivers a heartfelt eulogy at Peter's funeral, establishing his connection to the couple.

• steve
• christmas
• invitation
• funeral
• peter
• family

The sapling that grows throughout the film symbolizes hope, resilience, and the continuation of life. Joan and Tom consistently walk past it during their daily routines, and its growth mirrors their journey through cancer treatment toward recovery and renewed life.

Foreshadowing: Early scenes show them turning back when they encounter the newly planted sapling.

• sapling
• hope
• symbolism
• growth
• nature
• life

Joan forgets her medication schedule after Tom shaves her head, leading to a heated argument. The tension stems from the overwhelming nature of cancer treatment affecting both their lives, with Tom frustrated by the loss of control and Joan feeling pressured by the relentless demands of her condition.

• medication
• argument
• couple
• tension
• treatment

Joan discovers the cancer while showering, when she feels a disturbing mass on her breast. This prompts her and Tom to rush to the hospital where further tests confirm the diagnosis of breast cancer requiring surgery.

• shower
• breast cancer
• discovery
• diagnosis
• Mass

Joan meets Peter, her daughter Debbie's former primary school teacher, while waiting for her chemotherapy appointment. Peter reveals he is also battling terminal cancer, and their encounter creates a meaningful connection between two people facing similar struggles.

• peter
• chemotherapy
• debbie
• teacher
• terminal cancer

Joan undergoes a mastectomy as part of her cancer treatment after the initial surgery to remove the mass. The procedure is followed by reconstructive surgery using tissue from her abdomen, marking another significant step in her treatment journey.

• mastectomy
• reconstruction
• surgery
• cancer treatment
• abdomen