The Suicide Theory (2015) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Steven turns to contract killing as a way to channel his overwhelming grief and trauma into something that feels purposeful. After witnessing Annie's death in a hit-and-run, he becomes haunted by flashbacks whenever he crosses streets, making normal life impossible. The three years of suffering have warped his perspective, leading him into the dark world of contract killing as a coping mechanism.

• steven
• contract killer
• grief
• annie death
• transformation

Percival repeatedly survives lethal suicide attempts throughout the film, which both characters interpret as a kind of curse or unnatural protection. He survives being pushed from a building, various other methods, and even being shot by Steven. The film presents this as something almost supernatural, though it remains ambiguous whether this is truly fate, coincidence, or psychological resilience.

• percival
• suicide attempts
• survival
• curse
• resilience

Percival accidentally killed Annie in a hit-and-run while driving under the influence. This happened shortly after his boyfriend Christopher's death, when Percival was grieving and emotionally unstable. He had no knowledge that Annie was Steven's wife at the time, making the tragedy a cruel coincidence that connects the two men.

• annie
• percival
• hit-run
• death
• cause

Despite learning that Percival's role in Annie's death was accidental, Steven cannot overcome his grief and rage. When Percival asks for forgiveness, Steven's emotional turmoil leads him to kill Percival in a moment of despair. This tragic choice represents the culmination of Steven's broken mental state and inability to process his losses.

• steven
• percival
• killing
• forgiveness
• tragedy

Thomas, who appears to be Steven's employer in the contract killing business, is actually a manifestation of Steven's own fractured psyche. This revelation comes after Percival's funeral when Steven confronts Thomas, discovering he has been talking to himself all along. This psychological twist explains Thomas's mysterious knowledge and control over Steven's actions.

• thomas
• psyche
• manifestation
• split personality
• revelation

Steven puts on Annie's old dress and makeup while holding a gun to his head, reaching a moment of complete emotional breakdown. This occurs after Percival flees upon seeing Annie's dress, triggering Steven's deepest grief. The act represents his complete identification with his lost wife and his own suicidal crisis at that moment.

• steven
• annie
• dress
• grief
• breakdown

Percival believes their meeting is predestined because he recognizes Steven from earlier, though this connection is later revealed to stem from the fact that Steven was present when Annie was killed. Percival's multiple failed suicide attempts and his survivor's guilt create a psychological need to believe their paths crossing is meaningful, not random.

• percival
• steven
• connection
• destiny
• fate

Steven hatches a scheme to feign homosexuality and walk into the trap set for Percival after learning that Percival was assaulted by the bartender's homophobic friends. He hopes to confront and eliminate the attackers, but instead falls victim to the bartender's manipulation and must later take brutal revenge.

• steven
• bar
• assault
• homosexuality
• revenge

Percival believes he is cursed to survive his suicide attempts because he has unfinished emotional business. His inability to die stems from unresolved grief over Christopher's death and the guilt he carries. Steven attempts to break this curse by triggering emotional responses, believing Percival might finally die if he experiences true emotional connection.

• percival
• curse
• christopher
• grief
• emotional block

Steven believed Frank Dubois was responsible for Annie's death, based on a half-remembered license plate number from the night of the hit-and-run. His obsessive hunt for Frank represents his desperate attempt to find someone to blame and seek revenge. However, when he finally confronts Frank, Steven discovers his target was never actually under contract.

• frank dubois
• revenge
• license plate
• mistaken identity

After killing Percival and attending his funeral, Steven has a vision of Annie on the street. As he walks toward her, a truck strikes him. He survives and wakes in a hospital, where a doctor tells him he's lucky to be alive. Steven smiles bitterly at the irony, he wanted to die but couldn't, while others around him kept dying.

• steven
• truck
• near death
• survival
• irony
• ending

Percival channels his grief over Christopher's death into painting, creating portraits of his deceased boyfriend. Steven discovers Percival's artistic talent and this becomes a turning point that helps Steven reconnect with beauty and life. The finished portrait of Christopher serves as a haunting reminder of the tragedies that connect both men.

• percival
• painting
• christopher
• art
• grief
• expression