Plot Explained Spoilers guaranteed!
Plot Explained

Browse by genre

The 13 Roses (2007) movie poster

Timeline

The 13 Roses (2007) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2007 · 100 mins · Spanish
Directed by
Emilio Martínez Lázaro
Starring
Patrick Criado, Bárbara Lennie, Félix Gómez, Pilar López de Ayala, Verónica Sánchez, Gabriella Pession

Based on true events, thirteen ordinary young women were subjected to brutal interrogations and imprisoned on fabricated accusations of supporting the anti‑Franco resistance in the 1940s. Although they were innocent, they were executed without any evidence of wrongdoing.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Events in order (14)
  2. 2 Timeline questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Movies like The 13 Roses
  5. 5 Every angle

14 events in order · contains spoilers

The 13 Roses Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of The 13 Roses (2007) 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. Therapy session opens the film

    Theo and Ivy sit in a therapist's office for couples counseling. The therapist assigns them to write ten positive things about each other, but they respond with passive‑aggressive barbs. Janice leaves convinced the couple is hopeless, and the pair walk out laughing at the diagnosis.

    When
    Present
    Where
    Therapist's office
  2. First meeting in a London kitchen

    A flashback reveals the day Theo and Ivy first meet. Theo, overwhelmed at a restaurant, slips into Ivy's kitchen where she works as a chef. They flirt, share a tasting, and hatch the plan to move to America together, before they have sex in the freezer.

    When
    Flashback: day of their meeting
    Where
    London restaurant kitchen
  3. A ten-year jump to married life in California

    Ten years pass and Theo and Ivy are married with two kids, living in California. Theo is preparing for the opening of a maritime museum he helped design, while Ivy stays at home and spoils the kids with sweets. Her indulgence worries Theo about their health and balance.

    When
    Ten years later
    Where
    California
  4. A new restaurant venture

    Theo surprises Ivy with a property for her to open a seafood restaurant, naming it “We’ve Got Crabs!”. She hires a sous chef and a waiter, signaling a major shift toward Ivy becoming the breadwinner. The move rekindles a shared dream but also raises stakes in their relationship.

    When
    Early in the venture
    Where
    California
  5. A night with friends turns tense

    The Roses and their friends head to a shooting range, testing their boundaries with guns. They later return to Barry and Amy’s home for dinner, where Rory critiques the museum design and Ivy helps them bail out of a heated situation. The evening surfaces underlying resentments.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Shooting range; Barry and Amy’s home
  6. The storm hits and the museum collapses

    As a massive storm descends, the sail on the museum’s roof starts to fail. The ship model collapses through the roof, and a video of Theo’s humiliation goes viral. Meanwhile, Sylvia, a food critic, gives Ivy’s restaurant a glowing review, boosting her business.

    When
    Storm night
    Where
    Maritime museum
  7. Job loss and a pivot to breadwinning

    Theo is fired after the fiasco, and he has a breakdown in front of their children. Ivy offers to become the primary earner while Theo reimagines his career. The family begins recalibrating their roles in a newly imbalanced dynamic.

    When
    Shortly after the storm
    Where
    California
  8. Ivy’s expansion and Jane’s indiscretion

    Ivy’s restaurant chain expands, increasing staff and pressure. Jane, the sous chef, is caught having sex with another employee, provoking workplace drama. Theo continues to push for control in the household as resentment grows.

    When
    Following the expansion
    Where
    Ivy’s restaurant
  9. Therapy and a turbulent NYC trip

    Theo and Ivy re-enter therapy with Janice and take a trip to New York City. On the flight, Theo spots Sally and, after a confrontation about the museum collapse on the plane, becomes increasingly drunk. In the hotel, Ivy parties separately and returns to push Theo to finish the dream house.

    When
    During NYC trip
    Where
    New York City
  10. Three years later: professional growth and a looming strain

    Over the next three years, Ivy’s business continues to expand and Theo inches toward completing the dream house. Hattie and Roy are set to attend the University of Miami on sports scholarships. The couple remains bitter toward one another, masking their longing for happiness.

    When
    Three years later
    Where
    California
  11. The raspberry incident and family tension

    During the house construction, Theo irritates Ivy with questions about the project. She eats a raspberry, triggering anaphylaxis, and Theo administers an EpiPen to save her. Later, they learn that Hattie had her first period, which strains the emotional balance and underscores their growing distance.

    When
    During house construction
    Where
    California
  12. House completion and a tense housewarming

    The kids go off to college and the dream house is finally finished. A housewarming dinner with friends descends into sniping; their crass banter is mistaken for witty humor, and the guests sense the underlying hostility. Ivy blasts HAL with death metal and hurls cake at the guests after a particularly pointed quip.

    When
    House completion and dinner
    Where
    California
  13. Divorce and a near-fatal confrontation

    Theo and Ivy hire lawyers and wage a bitter split, exchanging calculated moves and pranks. Ivy signs the divorce papers with Zendaya as a signature, and Theo tries to sabotage her with audio and video stunts. The bitter war escalates until they momentarily realize they still love each other.

    When
    During divorce proceedings
    Where
    California
  14. Gas leak and the ambiguous ending

    A gas leak from the broken stove spreads through the house as Theo orders HAL to play music and start a fire. The couple races amid the smoke, and then there is a sudden white flash, leaving their fate unresolved and implying a catastrophic event.

    When
    Final moment
    Where
    House

Last updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:59

Was this helpful?

Timeline questions answered

The 13 Roses Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of The 13 Roses (2007): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does Theo lose his job at the museum?

Theo loses his job after a violent storm causes the maritime museum's roof to collapse. The sail on the roof model buckles under the pressure, the entire structure fails, and video of Theo's humiliation goes viral. This public failure, combined with the professional embarrassment, leads to his firing.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Theo's controversial sail design had already raised concerns at the museum opening, hinting at structural issues.

  • theo
  • job loss
  • museum
  • storm
  • collapse
  • viral video
Q2

Why does Ivy become the primary breadwinner in the relationship?

After Theo loses his job following the museum collapse, Ivy steps up as the primary earner. Her seafood restaurant 'We've Got Crabs!' receives a glowing review from critic Sylvia, driving a surge in customers. Ivy offers to support the family while Theo redefines his career, marking a significant shift in their domestic power dynamic.

Foreshadowing: The restaurant was a surprise gift from Theo early in their California life, but Ivy's skills as a chef made it successful beyond initial expectations.

  • ivy
  • breadwinner
  • restaurant
  • career shift
  • gender roles
Q3

Why do Theo and Ivy decide to divorce?

The couple's marriage deteriorates over years of resentment. Theo struggles with feeling inadequate after losing his job while Ivy's career flourishes. He imposes strict rules on the children, no sugar, contracts, fitness regimens, as a way to regain control. The couple becomes openly hostile, making snide remarks and petty digs. Theo eventually admits he's no longer happy and wants a divorce, though they clearly still love each other.

Foreshadowing: The therapy session at the film's opening already shows the couple using passive-aggressive barbs instead of genuine communication.

  • divorce
  • resentment
  • marriage breakdown
  • theo
  • ivy
  • therapy
Q4

What is the significance of the beached whale?

The morning after a hostile dinner party where the couple attacks each other, Theo goes for a run and discovers a beached whale. He helps push it back toward the ocean. This act of hope and renewal becomes the catalyst for his confession that he's no longer happy in the marriage and wants a divorce, suggesting he sees the whale as a metaphor for their relationship being stranded.

  • beached whale
  • symbolism
  • theo
  • divorce confession
Q5

Why does Theo order HAL to start a fire?

When a gas leak spreads through the house from a damaged stove, Theo makes a devastating choice: he orders the smart home system HAL to play music and ignite a blaze. This appears to be his way of finally severing their connection, even if it means destruction, as the house they built together represents their troubled marriage. The act suggests he'd rather burn it all than continue the painful coexistence.

Foreshadowing: Throughout the film, HAL becomes a tool for petty warfare between them, playing polka on loop, death metal at parties, showing how their home has become a battleground.

  • theo
  • hal
  • fire
  • gas leak
  • house
  • destruction
Q6

What happens at the end of the movie?

The film ends with a sudden white flash after Theo orders HAL to ignite the house amid a gas leak. The couple races through the smoke, but their fate remains completely unresolved. The ambiguous ending leaves viewers uncertain whether they escape, perish, or are severely injured, the film offers no confirmation, only the devastating image of their shared home erupting in flames.

Foreshadowing: The entire film builds toward this catastrophic conclusion, with the couple repeatedly hurting each other while still claiming to love one another.

  • ending
  • ambiguous
  • white flash
  • fire
  • fate
  • climax
Q7

What is the raspberry incident and why does it matter?

During construction of their dream house, Theo persistently asks Ivy questions about the project, irritating her. She eats a raspberry and suffers a severe allergic reaction, going into anaphylaxis. Theo administers an EpiPen to save her life. This tense medical emergency briefly reconnects them before they learn their daughter Hattie had her first period, a moment that further strains the family's emotional balance.

  • raspberry
  • anaphylaxis
  • emergency
  • epipen
  • hattie
  • daughter
Q8

Why does Ivy throw cake at the dinner party?

At a housewarming dinner for their completed dream house, the gathering descends into hostile bickering. The couple's snide remarks create an unbearable atmosphere for guests. After a particularly pointed critique, Ivy cranks up the smart home speaker system to blast death metal and hurls cake across the room in a dramatic, chaotic exit. This moment crystallizes how toxic their relationship has become, they can no longer even host civil social gatherings.

Foreshadowing: Earlier dinner scenes with friends already showed tensions surfacing, particularly when Rory critiques Theo's museum design.

  • ivy
  • cake
  • party
  • death metal
  • hal
  • hostile
  • fight
Q9

Why do Theo and Ivy hire lawyers and turn divorce into a battle?

After Theo confesses he wants a divorce, they each hire lawyers, Barry for Theo and Eleanor for Ivy. What begins as a legal process quickly escalates into symbolic warfare: they burn cookbooks, release crabs in the bathtub, and use HAL to play pranks on each other. The divorce papers themselves become a battlefield, signed under pressure, with Ivy signing with a playful nod to Zendaya. Their bitter war continues until a gun is drawn during a confrontation, forcing them to confront whether they truly want to end their marriage.

  • divorce lawyers
  • barry
  • eleanor
  • pranks
  • legal battle
  • crabs
  • cookbooks
Q10

Why do Theo and Ivy stay together for so long if they're so unhappy?

Despite their resentment and open hostility, Theo and Ivy remain deeply connected. Their final confrontation reveals they still love each other, they never truly wanted to end what they started together. The film suggests they stayed trapped in a cycle of hurting each other as a way of staying emotionally linked, confusing pain with passion. Even their destructive acts, like the gas leak and fire, stem from not knowing how to separate without losing each other entirely.

Foreshadowing: The opening therapy scene shows them laughing at the diagnosis, suggesting their bond might survive anything, even when it shouldn't.

  • love
  • attachment
  • toxicity
  • cycle
  • ivy
  • theo
  • relationship

Movie threads

More Movies Like The 13 Roses, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The 13 Roses tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Historical injustice stories like The 13 Roses

Stories about ordinary people crushed by oppressive and corrupt political regimes. If you were moved by The 13 Roses, these movies also tell powerful stories of ordinary people caught in the machinery of oppressive regimes. They share a bittersweet tone, medium emotional weight, and a focus on the devastating impact of political injustice on innocent lives.

  • tense
  • melancholic
  • bitter
  • hostile
  • frustrated
  • historical
  • Tone: bittersweet, bleak
  • Pacing: steady, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread typically follow innocent individuals or groups who are targeted by a powerful, corrupt system. The story unfolds with a steady pace, detailing their arrest, interrogation, and suffering, often culminating in a tragic or ambiguous ending that underscores the senseless brutality of the regime.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here based on their shared thematic core of political persecution, their melancholic and bitter mood, and their focus on historical or fictionalized accounts of systemic injustice. They create a tense, frustrating viewing experience centered on the collision between human dignity and state power.

Stories of resilience under duress like The 13 Roses

Quiet stories of dignity and human spirit maintained during impossible circumstances. For viewers who appreciated the poignant portrayal of resilience in The 13 Roses, this list highlights movies with a similar feel. These films explore how characters maintain their dignity and humanity in the face of hopeless situations, often with a steady pace and medium emotional intensity.

  • resigned
  • stoic
  • melancholic
  • poignant
  • hopeless
  • dignity
  • Tone: bittersweet, melancholic
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a group or individual confronting a predetermined, tragic outcome. Instead of a plot focused on escape or victory, the story emphasizes the internal journey—how characters support one another, find moments of grace, and affirm their humanity despite the surrounding hostility and despair.

Why they belong together: These films are connected by their central theme of resilience, a bittersweet tone that balances despair with moments of human connection, and a character-focused approach. They share a specific emotional mix of sadness, frustration, and admiration for the strength of the human spirit.

If you liked this

Movies Like The 13 Roses

Similar movies to The 13 Roses: the same genre, themes or kind of story. Each one comes with its own plot summary, timeline and ending explained.

Browse all movie summaries

Every angle

The 13 Roses (2007) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The 13 Roses 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.

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

Plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Catch up on any movie in minutes, save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private, always.

Learn more about the app