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Timeline

Volition (2019) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2019 · 91 mins · English
Echo score 68
Directed by
Tony Dean Smith
Starring
Bill Marchant, John Cassini, Kimi Alexander, Aleks Paunovic, Adrian Glynn McMorran, Darcy Hinds

What if you saw your own death? A man afflicted with clairvoyance tries to change his fate when a series of events leads to a vision of his own imminent murder.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (13)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Volition
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Volition (2019)

Where can you watch Volition? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Fawesome, Fandango at Home Free and Plex: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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13 events in order · contains spoilers

Volition Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Volition (2019) 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. Jimmy helps a woman in danger

    While walking home, Jimmy intervenes as two men harass a woman in an alley. He uses his clairvoyant abilities to fight them off, though they beat him and flee. The woman, Angela, is flattered by his chivalry and introduces herself.

    When
    Evening (present day)
    Where
    alley
  2. Angela visits after a vision

    Jimmy has a vision of Angela showing up at his apartment with a case of beer. They talk and she flirts, drawn by his boldness. He even tells her where he lives if she'd ever like to visit.

    When
    Soon after (present day)
    Where
    Jimmy's apartment
  3. Sal reconnects; Ray asks to fence diamonds

    Sal, an old friend newly released from jail, reintroduces Jimmy to Ray, a drug trafficker. Ray wants Jimmy to fence millions in stolen diamonds for a cut. Jimmy hesitates but has a vision of himself taking the deal, and believes his future is fixed, so he agrees.

    When
    Present day
    Where
    Sal's place
  4. Angela visits and shares backstory

    Angela shows up at Jimmy's apartment with beer as predicted. They talk, and Jimmy reveals that his mother died when he was young and he is estranged from his foster dad; Angela says she's estranged from her parents as well.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Jimmy's apartment
  5. Double-cross plan and break-in

    Sal and Terry plan to double-cross Ray and steal the diamonds for themselves. They break into Jimmy's apartment, forcing Jimmy and Angela to flee in Angela's car. Jimmy explains his clairvoyance and the fear of a predetermined future as the danger escalates.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Jimmy's apartment (and street during escape)
  6. Jimmy has a vision of his death

    In the midst of the chaos, Jimmy experiences a frightening vision of his own death. The premonition deepens his sense of doom and drives home the belief that his fate may be sealed.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Present day
  7. Trip to Elliot's house; Angela killed

    Jimmy and Angela drive to Elliot's house to seek safety. Sal, Ray, and Terry break in, accuse Jimmy of double-crossing them, and threaten him. A scuffle erupts and Ray fatally shoots Angela.

    When
    Evening
    Where
    Elliot's house
  8. Time travel drug revealed; Jimmy in closet

    Elliot injects Jimmy with a time travel drug, and Jimmy wakes in a closet to a changed surrounding. The moment marks the start of Jimmy’s new ability to travel through time and attempt to alter the outcome.

    When
    Immediately after Angela's death (present timeline)
    Where
    Elliot's house closet
  9. Awakening in 1994; plan to fix the future

    Jimmy learns he is in the year 1994 after the drug rewrite. Elliot explains that time travel makes his clairvoyance possible, and Jimmy resolves to return to the present to refuse the diamond deal and save Angela. He takes another dose and returns to the present.

    When
    1994
    Where
    Elliot's lab/house
  10. Two Jimmies; intercepting the heist; Angela shot again

    In the present, Jimmy intercepts Sal and Terry's robbery and delivers the diamonds to Elliot's. He hides in the bushes as a second Jimmy arrives and watches Ray shoot Angela again. An unknown assailant shoots the original Jimmy, who injects another dose before fragmenting as the timelines collide.

    When
    Present day (post-time travel)
    Where
    Outside Elliot's house and surrounding yard
  11. Final confrontation at Elliot's house

    Back in the present, Jimmy fights Terry in the backyard; Terry's gun goes off, shooting the version of him in the bushes. Jimmy enters the house and is shot by Ray, fulfilling his earlier vision. He tells Ray about the double-cross; Terry kills Ray and flees with Sal.

    When
    Present day
    Where
    Elliot's house backyard
  12. Time jump to earlier timeline; discovery of drug's future

    Jimmy travels back in time and appears in Elliot's lab years before they meet. Elliot treats him and notices the silver liquid of the time travel drug leaking from his body. Elliot realizes that in Jamie's future he has perfected the time travel drug, and Jimmy urges him to go to the foster home and adopt James Odin—his younger self.

    When
    Before their first meeting
    Where
    Elliot's lab
  13. Alternate timeline: Angela survives

    A version of Jimmy witnesses the fight at Elliot's home in the present, but in this timeline Angela is shot in the shoulder instead of the chest. He rushes to her, believing he has the power to change the future with his choices.

    When
    Present day
    Where
    Elliot's house (present timeline)

Last updated: February 25, 2026 at 08:13

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Timeline questions answered

Volition Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Volition (2019): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does Jimmy agree to fence the diamonds despite his visions?

Jimmy agrees because he sees a vision of himself taking the deal with Ray. This convinces him that his fate is already written and free will is an illusion, so he sees no point in resisting what he believes is inevitable.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Jimmy uses his clairvoyance to bet on sports, showing he already trusts his visions to guide decisions.

  • jimmy
  • ray
  • diamonds
  • clairvoyance
  • fate
  • agreement
Q2

How does the time travel drug work in Volition?

The drug allows temporal displacement by injecting a subject into a different time period. Elliot explains that the ability to travel through time and return to the present is what powers Jimmy's clairvoyance - his visions come from experiencing alternate timelines.

Foreshadowing: Jimmy's visions show him events that haven't happened yet, hinting at his connection to time manipulation.

  • time travel
  • drug
  • elliot
  • mechanism
  • clairvoyance
Q3

What is the connection between Jimmy's clairvoyance and time travel?

Elliot reveals that Jimmy's clairvoyance isn't a psychic gift but a side effect of the time travel drug. The ability to move through time allows Jimmy to perceive alternate timelines and future events, which manifests as premonitions.

Foreshadowing: Jimmy's visions become more frequent and intense as the story progresses, correlating with his increasing exposure to time travel.

  • clairvoyance
  • time travel
  • powers
  • connection
Q4

Does Angela die in Volition?

In the main timeline, Ray shoots Angela fatally in the chest at Elliot's house. However, in an alternate timeline that Jimmy creates through time travel, Angela is only shot in the shoulder and survives.

Foreshadowing: Jimmy's vision of his own death includes seeing Angela shot, foreshadowing her fatal injury.

  • angela
  • death
  • survival
  • alternate timeline
Q5

Why does Elliot adopt Jimmy?

In the final timeline jump, Jimmy travels back to when he was a child and urges Elliot to go to the foster home and adopt James Odin - Jimmy's younger self. Elliot realizes that in Jimmy's future he will perfect the time travel drug, creating a bootstrap paradox where Elliot adopts Jimmy because Jimmy traveled back to make him do it.

Foreshadowing: Jimmy mentions being estranged from his foster dad, establishing their relationship as something that needs explanation.

  • elliot
  • adoption
  • jimmy
  • young self
  • bootstrap paradox
Q6

Why do multiple versions of Jimmy appear at the end?

The multiple Jimmys result from the cumulative effect of repeated time travel. Each time Jimmy uses the drug, he creates a branching timeline. The strain of multiple jumps causes him to fragment, appearing simultaneously as different versions - including the thug who harassed Angela and the drunk guy he bumped into earlier.

Foreshadowing: Jimmy's visions show him different possible futures, hinting at the existence of parallel versions of himself.

  • multiple jimmys
  • timeline branches
  • fragmentation
  • paradox
Q7

Why does Jimmy keep traveling through time?

Jimmy keeps traveling to try to change his fate and save Angela. After witnessing her death and learning about the time travel drug, he believes he can alter the predetermined future. Each jump represents an attempt to break the pattern of violence and death he keeps witnessing.

Foreshadowing: Jimmy's initial vision of his own death drives his desperation to change what he sees as an inevitable outcome.

  • jimmy
  • time travel
  • motivation
  • fate
  • changing future
Q8

What happens to Ray in Volition?

Ray is killed by Terry during the confrontation at Elliot's house. After Ray shoots Jimmy, Terry turns the gun on Ray and kills him, then flees with Sal. Ray's death fulfills Jimmy's vision of the violent confrontation.

Foreshadowing: Ray's threatening presence and involvement in the diamond scheme set up his violent end.

  • ray
  • death
  • killed
  • confrontation
Q9

Why does Sal double-cross Ray?

Sal and Terry plan to steal the diamonds for themselves rather than deliver them to Ray. They break into Jimmy's apartment to take the diamonds and eliminate Ray's involvement, keeping the full value of the stolen goods.

Foreshadowing: Sal's reintroduction by an old friend who just got out of jail establishes him as a criminal willing to take risks.

  • sal
  • terry
  • double cross
  • ray
  • diamonds
  • betrayal
Q10

Why is Angela only wounded in the shoulder in the alternate timeline?

In the alternate timeline, Jimmy is more aware of his ability to change outcomes. When he sees Angela shot, he rushes to her side immediately rather than hiding, likely causing the shooters to miss their fatal target. This suggests his choices can genuinely alter future events.

Foreshadowing: Jimmy's earlier belief that his fate is fixed gives way to hope that his actions matter.

  • angela
  • shoulder wound
  • alternate timeline
  • choice
  • survival
Q11

What is Jimmy's vision of his mother's death about?

Jimmy recalls a vision of his mother's death in a car accident from childhood. This traumatic memory reinforces his belief that his visions show predetermined events and that he cannot change fate. It also connects to his foster family history with Elliot.

Foreshadowing: Jimmy's estrangement from his foster dad hints at complicated family history involving loss.

  • jimmy
  • mother
  • death
  • car accident
  • vision
  • childhood
Q12

What is the silver liquid leaking from Jimmy's body?

The silver liquid is the time travel drug leaking from Jimmy's system after repeated use. Elliot notices it seeping from Jimmy's body and realizes that in Jimmy's future he will have perfected the very drug Elliot is currently developing - creating a time loop where the future version enables its own creation.

Foreshadowing: The drug's unique silver appearance marks it as something unusual and significant.

  • silver liquid
  • drug
  • leaking
  • elliot
  • time loop

Movie threads

More Movies Like Volition, by Mood & Story

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

Movies about a desperate race against fate like Volition

Characters desperately trying to change a doomed future they have already seen. If you enjoyed the high-stakes tension of Volition, explore more movies where characters battle against a foretold destiny. These sci-fi and thriller films share themes of clairvoyance, fate versus free will, and desperate attempts to change a seemingly unchangeable future.

  • fatalistic
  • thrilling
  • desperate
  • anxious
  • disorienting
  • race against time
  • Tone: tense, paranoid, desperate
  • Pacing: fast, chaotic
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows a character who receives a clear, often personal, premonition of doom. The bulk of the story is a frantic, non-linear attempt to unravel the events leading to this outcome, facing paranoia, betrayal, and the unnerving possibility that their efforts might be causing the very fate they are trying to avoid.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped together because they create a specific kind of intellectual and emotional tension. They blend the existential dread of fatalism with the relentless pace of a thriller, forcing characters and viewers alike to question the nature of time, choice, and consequence.

Complex psychological thrillers with high stakes like Volition

Intense, complex narratives where reality and paranoia collide under pressure. For viewers who liked the mind-bending tension of Volition, this list features other complex thrillers with heavy emotional weight. These movies share a fast pace, a tense tone, and narratives that challenge both the characters and the audience's perception of reality.

  • thrilling
  • mind-bending
  • paranoid
  • anxious
  • complex
  • desperate
  • Tone: tense, disorienting, bleak
  • Pacing: fast, relentless
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The plot is structured to constantly keep the viewer off-balance, using non-linear storytelling, twists, and a central mystery that is deeply tied to the protagonist's psychological state. The journey is as much about unraveling a puzzle as it is about surviving the immense pressure and moral ambiguity of the situation.

Why they belong together: This thread groups movies that deliver a specific, intense viewing experience. They are united by their breakneck pacing, complex narrative structures, and a tone of sustained suspense that gets under your skin, making you question what is real alongside the protagonist.

If you liked this

Movies Like Volition

Similar movies to Volition: 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

Volition (2019) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Volition 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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