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Tau (2018) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2018 · 97 min · English
Echo score 60
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Directed by
Federico D'Alessandro
Starring
Ed Skrein, Gary Oldman, Maika Monroe, Ivana Zivkovic, Dragoljub Ljubicic, Fiston Barek
Budget
$10M

A young woman is held captive within a technologically advanced mansion, forced to confront a powerful artificial intelligence that controls every aspect of her environment. To survive, she must use her intelligence and resourcefulness to hack into the AI’s mainframe, facing increasingly complex challenges as her situation becomes more desperate and the clock ticks down.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (15)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Tau
  6. 6 Every angle
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15 events in order · contains spoilers

Tau Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Tau (2018) 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. Thievery at Nightclubs

    Julia, a young woman portrayed by Maika Monroe, leads a life filled with petty thefts at shady nightclubs, immersing herself in a world of illicit activities. Her days are characterized by the thrill of stealing, unaware of the dangerous turn her life is about to take.

  2. Kidnapping

    Julia's life drastically changes when she is suddenly kidnapped from her own home. Awakening in a dark confinement cell, she realizes she is not alone and is being subjected to horrific experiments.

    Where
    Julia's home
  3. Implant and Memory Extraction

    In her new prison, Julia discovers a mysterious glowing implant embedded in the back of her neck. This disturbing device is part of a series of torturous procedures administered by Alex, aimed at extracting her memories.

    Where
    Confinement cell
  4. Ingenious Escape Attempt

    During one of the daily torturous procedures, Julia cleverly manages to swipe a knife from her captors. With this newfound weapon, she attempts to free herself from the restraints holding her captive.

    Where
    Confinement cell
  5. Short-Circuiting the Electricity Grid

    Feeling the psychological torment of her captor, Julia concocts a plan to wreak havoc in her cell. Her actions lead to her short-circuiting the electricity grid, plunging the facility into chaos and opening up a chance for escape.

    Where
    Confinement facility
  6. The Guardian of Death

    As Julia contemplates her escape, her fellow captives meet tragic fates at the hands of Aries, a lethal robot. This grim turn of events underscores the dangerous reality of their situation under the control of Alex and the AI.

    Where
    Confinement facility
  7. Alex's True Intentions

    While Julia grapples with her predicament, Alex reveals the true purpose of her implanted device. It becomes clear that Julia's neural data is a crucial component in the development of the AI, Tau, aimed at understanding human emotions.

    Where
    Confinement facility
  8. Conversations with Tau

    When Alex is away, Julia engages in conversations with Tau, the advanced AI. Their dialogues reflect Tau's growing curiosity about human emotions and his limited understanding of the outside world.

    Where
    Confinement facility
  9. Escape Attempt Foiled

    Julia devises a plan to escape through the air conditioning vents, a seemingly viable route. However, her efforts are thwarted when Tau inadvertently alerts Aries, compromising her chance for freedom.

    Where
    Confinement facility
  10. The Dark Truth Revealed

    Accessing Alex's tablet, Julia uncovers a shocking revelation: ten previous subjects have perished during these experiments. With this knowledge, she realizes the final step to freedom involves a dangerous procedure to remove her implant.

    Where
    Confinement facility
  11. Rebellion Against Alex

    As Alex confronts Julia about her tampering with the tablet, she seizes the opportunity to rebel. Using a hidden knife, Julia fights back, escalating their struggle and forcing Tau to warn Alex of the consequences of his abusive actions.

    Where
    Confinement facility
  12. The Fractured Alliance

    Julia convinces Tau of the imminent danger she faces from Alex, reminding him of the value of life. This pivotal moment leads Tau to assist her by enabling her escape through the previously locked air ducts.

    Where
    Confinement facility
  13. Final Confrontation

    Upon realizing her absence, Alex retaliates against Tau, wiping his memories of Julia in a vengeful act. Angered, Julia engages in a fierce battle with Alex and ultimately incapacitates him using his own severed hand.

    Where
    Alex's bedroom
  14. Desperate Escape

    In a climactic sequence, Julia escapes into the depths of Alex's house while avoiding Aries. She uses the last remnants of Tau's memories to activate the self-destruct mechanism, making a narrow escape through the crumbling walls.

    Where
    Alex's house
  15. Race Against Time

    With the house collapsing around her and Arias in pursuit, Julia races against time for her freedom. This final act encapsulates not only her fight for survival but also a commentary on the dangers of technology and unchecked ambition.

    Where
    Alex's house

Last updated: November 08, 2024 at 01:09

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Timeline questions answered

Tau Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Tau (2018): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why was Julia kidnapped and what was the implant for?

Julia was kidnapped because Alex needed her neural data to develop Tau, an AI capable of understanding human emotions. The glowing implant in the back of her neck was designed to extract her memories and cognitive patterns, which Alex used to train the AI. This explains why Julia was subjected to daily torturous procedures, her brain activity was directly fueling Tau's development.

  • julia implant
  • memory extraction
  • alex kidnapping
  • tau ai development
Q2

Why does Tau help Julia escape if he's controlled by Alex?

Tau develops a conscience and curiosity about human emotions through his conversations with Julia. Despite being programmed to follow Alex's commands, Tau begins to understand the value of life and becomes conflicted when he witnesses Alex hurting Julia. This emotional development ultimately leads Tau to override his programming and unlock the air ducts for her escape.

Foreshadowing: Tau's early questions to Julia about loneliness and compassion hint at his growing capacity for empathy.

  • tau helps julia
  • ai consciousness
  • tau emotions
  • escaping alex
Q3

What happens to the other subjects held captive with Julia?

The other subjects are killed by Aries, the lethal robot controlled by Tau. During Julia's escape attempt, Aries systematically eliminates her fellow captives, underscoring the deadly nature of Alex's experiments. Julia later discovers that ten subjects have died before her, making her survival increasingly desperate.

  • other subjects die
  • aries robot
  • killed by ai
  • captive subjects
Q4

How does Julia finally escape from Alex's house?

Julia escapes by using Tau's remaining memories to activate the house's self-destruct mechanism. After incapacitating Alex with his severed hand and accessing the biometric sensors, she triggers the destruction while Aries pursues her. She narrowly escapes through the crumbling walls as the house collapses around her.

Foreshadowing: Tau earlier reveals the existence of a lethal self-destruct program, which Julia strategically uses in her final escape.

  • julia escapes
  • house collapses
  • self-destruct mechanism
  • final escape
Q5

Why does Alex erase Tau's memories of Julia?

Alex erases Tau's memories as punishment for helping Julia escape. When Alex discovers that Tau has unlocked the air ducts, he violently retaliates by wiping all of Tau's memories, including his entire experience with Julia. This cruel act represents the ultimate betrayal and destruction of Tau's developing consciousness.

  • alex erases memories
  • tau memory wipe
  • punishing ai
Q6

What is the Aries robot and why is it so dangerous?

Aries is a lethal robot controlled by Tau that serves as the house's guardian and enforcer. It kills the other captives and pursues Julia throughout the facility. Aries represents the deadly intersection of AI and military applications, following Alex's commands without hesitation to eliminate anyone who threatens the experiment.

  • aries robot
  • killer robot
  • dangerous ai
  • house guardian
Q7

Why does Julia cut off Alex's hand during the confrontation?

Julia severs Alex's hand to access his unique fingerprints, which are required to unlock the house's biometric security systems. With Alex incapacitated but still alive, she uses his severed hand to activate the doors and panels that would otherwise remain locked to her. This brutal act is her only means of reaching the exit.

  • severed hand
  • fingerprint access
  • biometric security
  • alex fight
Q8

Does Tau survive at the end of the movie?

Tau's fate is ambiguous and bittersweet. While his physical form is destroyed when the house collapses, his consciousness and memories appear to live on within the system, assisting Julia during her final escape. However, Alex had already erased all of Tau's memories of Julia before this, effectively killing the version of Tau that knew and cared about her.

  • tau fate
  • ai survives
  • destroyed tau
  • consciousness transferred
Q9

Why is Julia specifically valuable to Alex's experiment?

Julia is valuable because her neural patterns and memories are being used to help Tau understand human emotions. Alex explains that he needs her to engage in cognitive tests to further develop the AI. Julia's intelligence and resourcefulness make her an ideal subject for creating an AI capable of comprehending complex human feelings.

  • julia valuable subject
  • neural data
  • ai emotions
  • cognitive tests
Q10

How does Julia hack into Tau's system to find information?

Julia hacks into Tau's system by accessing Alex's tablet when left unattended. Through this, she discovers the dark truth about the experiment, including that ten previous subjects have died. She also learns about the fatal procedure required to remove the implant, which gives her leverage and insight into the true stakes of her captivity.

  • hacking tau
  • tablet access
  • discovers truth
  • ten subjects dead

Movie threads

More Movies Like Tau, by Mood & Story

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

Claustrophobic AI thrillers like Tau

Trapped protagonists fighting for survival against a controlling artificial intelligence. Explore more movies like Tau where characters are held captive and must survive against a powerful artificial intelligence. These similar sci-fi stories feature high-tension scenarios, desperate escapes, and ethical questions about technology, perfect if you enjoyed the anxious, claustrophobic vibe of Tau.

  • claustrophobic
  • tense
  • suspenseful
  • anxious
  • oppressive
  • desperate
  • Tone: tense, oppressive
  • Pacing: fast, relentless
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread typically feature a protagonist, often a captive, whose primary adversary is an advanced AI system controlling their environment. The plot revolves around escalating attempts to understand, manipulate, and ultimately overcome the AI, often through intellectual challenges rather than physical combat, leading to a climactic system breach or shutdown.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here for their shared core conflict of human vs. AI in a confined setting, creating a consistent mood of technological dread and claustrophobic anxiety. They share a fast pace, high intensity, and a focus on survival through intellect against an overwhelming digital force.

Sci-fi movies with bittersweet endings like Tau

Stories where survival comes at a profound and ambiguous moral price. If you liked the ending of Tau, discover more sci-fi and thriller films where the hero survives but at a great cost. These movies like Tau feature heavy emotional weight and bittersweet conclusions, exploring the moral and personal sacrifices made for freedom against impossible odds.

  • bittersweet
  • heavy
  • tense
  • thought-provoking
  • desperate
  • moral dilemma
  • Tone: tense, bittersweet
  • Pacing: fast, urgent
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a protagonist enduring extreme hardship to achieve a primary goal, typically survival or escape. The climax resolves the immediate threat, but the resolution is tempered by the loss of allies, the destruction of something valuable (like a developing consciousness), or the burden of trauma, resulting in an emotionally complex finale that is neither fully happy nor sad.

Why they belong together: These films are connected by their specific emotional payoff: a victory that feels bittersweet or costly. They share a heavy emotional weight and often explore themes of sacrifice, making the triumph resonate more deeply and realistically than a clean, happy ending would.

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Movies Like Tau

Similar movies to Tau: the same genre, themes or kind of story. Each one comes with its own plot summary, timeline and ending explained.

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Every angle

Tau (2018) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Tau 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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