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Timeline

The Automatic Hate (2016) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2016 · 97 min · English
JustWatch #29,597 1
Directed by
Justin Lerner

When his mysterious cousin Alexis arrives, Davis Green's life is upended, revealing hidden secrets from his family’s history. Defying his father's cautions, he travels to rural New York, where he finds himself entangled in a web of unspoken desires and deeply rooted family conflicts. Davis must confront a painful truth that risks tearing his family apart and reshaping his understanding of his own past.

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 The Automatic Hate
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch The Automatic Hate (2016)

Where can you watch The Automatic Hate? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Fawesome, Hoopla and Kanopy: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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15 events in order · contains spoilers

The Automatic Hate Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of The Automatic Hate (2016) 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. Davis's Tumultuous Relationship

    Davis Green struggles in a chaotic relationship with Cassie, which sets the stage for the unfolding events in his life. Their tension-filled partnership creates an emotional backdrop as Davis navigates unexpected revelations.

  2. Mysterious Visitor

    A mysterious woman named Alexis Green follows Davis home from a bar, claiming to be his cousin. This shocking introduction disrupts Davis's understanding of his family and sets off a series of complicated family discoveries.

    Where
    Davis's home
  3. Lecture on Behavioral Psychology

    In an attempt to find solace, Davis attends a behavioral psychology lecture by his father, Ronald. This lecture sparks Davis's internal struggle with his familial connections and the underlying familial tensions.

    Where
    Lecture hall
  4. Discovery of Family Secrets

    While rummaging through his father's belongings, Davis stumbles upon a photograph that hints at a long-lost sibling. This discovery ignites his curiosity and desire to uncover the truth about his family.

    Where
    Ronald's home
  5. Journey to Upstate New York

    Davis's investigation leads him to follow Alexis's clues to upstate New York. There, he meets her two sisters, who provide a mix of warmth and caution as they delve into their interconnected family history.

    Where
    Upstate New York
  6. Tensions Rise

    As Davis spends more time with Alexis, familial tensions begin to surface among the sisters. Conversations about their intertwined relationships with a local man culminate in a heated confrontation that complicates their dynamic.

    Where
    Alexis's home
  7. Heart-to-Heart with Alexis

    During a heart-to-heart conversation with Alexis, she probes Davis about his reasons for leaving Cassie. This emotional exchange reveals a poignant connection, yet it is overshadowed by dark secrets lurking in their family.

  8. Family Tragedy Strikes

    Cassie's arrival in New York with the news of Davis's grandfather's death brings heartbreak and tension. This loss forces the characters to confront their feelings and relationships amidst the emotional turmoil.

    Where
    New York
  9. Funeral in Boston

    The trio gathers for the funeral in Boston, where emotional tensions explode. Alexis and Cassie vie for Davis's attention, leading to conflicts that illuminate the family's troubled dynamics.

    Where
    Boston
  10. Dinner Confrontation

    During a tense dinner, the family attempts to ease the underlying animosities. However, the atmosphere becomes explosive when Alexis reveals a bracelet, triggering a brutal fistfight between Josh and Ronald.

    Where
    Boston
  11. Davis's Outburst

    In a moment of heightened tension, Davis punches Alexis, leaving her feeling humiliated. This drastic action marks a significant turning point in their complex relationship and strife among the family members.

    Where
    Boston
  12. Grief and Guilt

    In the aftermath of the funeral, Davis and Josh confront their shared grief while uneasily discussing their late sister, Rebecca. This conversation heightens rifts as they each blame the other for her tragic death.

  13. Davis's Moment of Clarity

    Amid the chaos, Davis shares an intimate moment with Alexis, revealing his feelings through a tender kiss. This moment complicates his feelings for Cassie further, showcasing the turbulent emotions at play.

  14. Reconciliation with Cassie

    After navigating his complex feelings, Davis confesses his emotions to Cassie, who accepts him back without conditions. This moment illustrates the themes of loyalty and love despite the storm of revelations.

  15. Enduring Consequences

    As the narrative unfolds, Davis grapples with the devastating consequences of uncovering his family's buried truths. This introspection leads him to ponder the fragile balance between love, loyalty, and personal identity.

Last updated: November 17, 2024 at 21:56

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Timeline questions answered

The Automatic Hate Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of The Automatic Hate (2016): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does Alexis follow Davis home and claim to be his cousin?

Alexis reveals herself as Davis's cousin after tracking him down, claiming she found him through a mutual family connection. Her arrival shocks Davis because he had no knowledge of her existence, which stems from a hidden family secret involving his father's brother Josh and a woman outside their immediate family.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Davis discovers a photograph in his father's belongings hinting at a lost sibling, which prompts his curiosity to investigate further.

  • alexis green
  • cousin
  • family secret
  • davis green
Q2

Why does Ronald keep Alexis and her family hidden from Davis?

Ronald deliberately avoids discussing his brother Josh's family, refusing Davis's offer to cook for them and dismissing any connection to them. The tension stems from a deep rift between the brothers, rooted in the tragic death of their sister Rebecca, for whom each brother blames the other.

Foreshadowing: Davis discovers the photograph suggesting a lost sibling, which first hints at the hidden family branch.

  • ronald green
  • josh
  • family secrets
  • brotherly conflict
Q3

What happened to Rebecca and why do the brothers blame each other?

Rebecca was Davis and Josh's sister who died under tragic circumstances. During the funeral preparations, Josh reveals to Davis that Rebecca died and that each brother holds the other responsible for her death, creating a devastating rift between them.

Foreshadowing: The tension between Josh and Ronald is evident from their explosive fistfight during the dinner confrontation.

  • rebecca
  • sister death
  • josh
  • ronald
  • blame
Q4

Why does Davis punch Alexis after the dinner confrontation?

Davis punches Alexis in a moment of heightened emotional chaos after the bracelet revelation triggers a brutal fistfight between Josh and Ronald. This outburst appears to be Davis's way of exerting dominance and releasing overwhelming tension, though it leaves Alexis humiliated and represents a significant turning point in their relationship.

Foreshadowing: The tension has been building throughout the family gatherings, with Alexis tempting Davis with secrecy and power struggles intensifying.

  • davis
  • alexis
  • violence
  • outburst
  • humiliation
Q5

What is the 16mm footage that Davis and Alexis discover?

While exploring the hunting lodge, Davis and Alexis find 16mm footage showing their fathers, Ronald and Josh, with a young woman. This discovery connects to the family secrets and hints at the complicated relationships that led to the hidden family branch.

Foreshadowing: Earlier clues about the lost sibling and cryptic references to family secrets build toward this revelation.

  • 16mm footage
  • hunting lodge
  • ronald
  • josh
  • family secrets
Q6

Why does Davis leave Alexis after kissing her?

After sharing a tender kiss with Alexis, Davis urges her to leave. This moment of intimacy is complicated by the taboo nature of their attraction as cousins, the ongoing chaos with Cassie, and Davis's internal conflict about loyalty and family boundaries.

Foreshadowing: Alexis earlier questions Davis about his true reasons for leaving Cassie, hinting at their mutual attraction.

  • davis
  • alexis
  • kiss
  • departure
  • conflicted feelings
Q7

Why does Cassie terminate her pregnancy and how does it affect Davis?

Cassie confesses to Davis that she terminated their pregnancy, throwing him into emotional turmoil. This revelation occurs during a heart-to-heart with Alexis, where Davis admits the pregnancy termination has deeply affected him, contributing to his instability throughout the story.

Foreshadowing: Davis's emotional state is already fragile from the family revelations, making this personal loss even more devastating.

  • cassie
  • pregnancy
  • termination
  • davis
  • emotional turmoil
Q8

Why do Josh and Ronald have a brutal fistfight at dinner?

The fistfight erupts when Alexis reveals a bracelet she discovered at her father's lodge. This triggers explosive tensions between the brothers, bringing years of accumulated resentment, blame over Rebecca's death, and family secrets to the surface in a violent confrontation.

Foreshadowing: Tensions have been simmering throughout the family gatherings in Boston, with the brothers maintaining cold civility.

  • josh
  • ronald
  • fistfight
  • bracelet
  • family conflict
Q9

Why does Davis reconcile with Cassie after everything?

Davis ultimately reconciles with Cassie despite his complicated feelings for Alexis. Cassie accepts him back without condition, offering stability and loyalty. Davis chooses this relationship as a return to normalcy after the emotional chaos of discovering his family's buried truths.

Foreshadowing: Throughout the story, Cassie represents safety and normalcy, while Alexis represents dangerous truth-seeking.

  • davis
  • cassie
  • reconciliation
  • loyalty
  • stability
Q10

What secret does Aunt Josh reveal about the family?

Aunt Josh reveals knowledge of the family's buried secrets when Davis is staying with them, forcing Davis to confront truths about his own identity and the hidden branch of his family tree involving his father Ronald and his brother Josh.

Foreshadowing: Alexis has been gradually revealing clues about their shared family history throughout Davis's visit.

  • aunt josh
  • family secret
  • revelation
  • identity
Q11

Why do Alexis and Cassie compete for Davis's attention?

After the grandfather's funeral in Boston, both Alexis and Cassie engage in power struggles, each vying for Davis's attention. Alexis tempts Davis with the thrill of secrecy and taboo attraction, while Cassie represents his established life and loyalty.

Foreshadowing: Alexis's earlier heart-to-heart with Davis hints at their mutual attraction that complicates the dynamic.

  • alexis
  • cassie
  • competition
  • davis
  • attention
Q12

Why does the grandfather's death bring everyone together?

The grandfather's death forces the fractured family to gather in Boston for the funeral, bringing together Davis, Alexis, Cassie, Josh, and Ronald. This gathering becomes the catalyst for the most intense confrontations and revelations, including the bracelet discovery and fistfight.

Foreshadowing: Cassie arrives in New York with the news, interrupting the intimate moment between Davis and Alexis.

  • grandfather
  • death
  • funeral
  • family gathering
  • boston

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Automatic Hate, by Mood & Story

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

Movies about taboo family secrets like The Automatic Hate

Stories where buried family histories resurface with dangerous and confusing consequences. If you liked the tense uncovering of family secrets and forbidden attraction in The Automatic Hate, these movies explore similar themes. Discover other dramatic stories where buried histories, identity crises, and uncomfortable desires come to light, challenging family bonds and personal understanding.

  • uncomfortable
  • tense
  • confrontational
  • melancholic
  • claustrophobic
  • forbidden attraction
  • Tone: tense, uneasy, melancholic
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows a protagonist discovering a hidden branch of their family or a shocking secret that recontextualizes their past. This discovery often triggers a journey, both physical and emotional, leading to confrontations with older generations and encounters with forbidden or complicated attractions. The journey is less about action and more about emotional reckoning and moral ambiguity.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped together because they share a core focus on the explosive nature of family secrets, particularly those involving taboo desires or blurred family lines. They create a specific, uncomfortable mood of tense discovery and share a heavy emotional weight as characters grapple with the collapse of their understood reality.

Movies with bittersweet revelations like The Automatic Hate

Character journeys where the truth is uncovered, but healing comes at a cost. For viewers who appreciated the emotionally heavy and bittersweet ending of The Automatic Hate, this list features similar films. These stories follow characters confronting difficult truths that reshape their world, leading to conclusions that are neither fully happy nor sad, but complex and resonant.

  • bittersweet
  • melancholic
  • heavy
  • reflective
  • emotional
  • unraveling
  • Tone: bittersweet, melancholic, tense
  • Pacing: steady, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The story arc involves a quest for truth that is ultimately successful, but the knowledge gained forces difficult choices and personal sacrifices. The ending seldom provides a clean, happy resolution; instead, it offers a fragile new equilibrium. Characters are left somewhat wiser but also scarred, having traded innocence for a more burdensome understanding.

Why they belong together: These movies are united by their specific emotional payoff: a bittersweet ending that follows a heavy dramatic journey. They share a moderate-to-high complexity in character relationships and a steady pacing that allows the emotional weight to build. The primary connection is the shared feeling of having faced the truth, with all its devastating and liberating consequences.

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Every angle

The Automatic Hate (2016) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The Automatic Hate 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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