Time Cut Ending Explained: Why’d They Have To Go And Make Things So Complicated?

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As a diehard fan of time-travel films, I find myself deeply immersed in the complexities of “Time Cut“. The ending left me pondering, just like a good sci-fi movie should. It’s intriguing to consider that Lucy, in her quest for happiness, has potentially erased herself from existence in 2024.

Heads up, fellow gamers! I’m about to spill some beans on the ending of the 2024 Netflix movie Time Cut. If you haven’t had a chance to watch it yet and don’t want any spoilers, might be best to click away now! Enjoy your unspoiled journey!

From time to time, I come across a film that seems straightforward at first glance, but by the time the closing credits roll, it’s a tangled web of intrigue. That’s exactly what happened with Hannah Macpherson’s chilling slasher, Time Cut, which dropped onto the 2024 movie schedule in late October and quickly became a must-watch for Netflix subscribers like myself.

The film centers around teenager Lucy Field (Madison Bailey), who discovers a time machine in 2024 and journeys back to 2003 with the aim of stopping her sister Summer (Antonia Gentry) from being brutally slain by an unknown assailant wearing a mask. At first glance, the plot may seem straightforward, but it soon transforms into a complex investigation of space, time, and our role within it, making understanding it necessary.

Let’s delve into the ending of the movie Time Cut, focusing on the time paradoxes and the intriguing twist. We’ll discuss how everything concludes for the main characters, and what Macpherson had in store for the climax. However, beware of significant spoilers ahead.

Two Quinns At One Time

Towards the end of the movie Time Cut, it’s disclosed that the Sweetly Slasher, the serial killer who murdered four high school students in April 2003, was none other than Quinn (Griffin Gluck), the character who aids Lucy in solving her sister’s murder mystery and preventing it. However, unlike the sympathetic version of the character we know, this Quinn is from an alternate timeline, harboring resentment towards Summer for turning him down, and driven by the pain of being bullied by his classmates years prior.

In simpler terms, how do we have two different versions of the character named Quinn? Earlier in the movie, Lucy intervenes and prevents a group of bullies from throwing her friend Quinn into a river. This act probably spares him from turning into the ruthless, violent killer he might have become. But this doesn’t erase or eliminate the existence of the already-crazy Quinn who is plotting an attack.

In a manner reminiscent of time travel as depicted in Avengers: Endgame, the storyline of Time Cut involves multiple timelines that diverge when changes are made, such as Lucy’s intervention in the bullying incident. Unlike what occurs in Back to the Future, an individual who departs from their timeline (using a time machine) continues to exist even if their past is altered. This concept helps us understand why evil Quinn informs his younger self that ending his life won’t prevent the murderous version of himself from persisting in another timeline. In essence, Time Cut‘s time travel mechanics operate in the opposite way to those seen in Back to the Future.

Lucy Still Exists After Saving Her Sister

Moments before evil Quinn could execute his lethal scheme against Summer, Lucy intervenes, leading both of them into a temporal rift that transports them to the year 2024, Lucy’s original timeline. In a parking garage, their confrontation escalates until Lucy, in self-defense, uses Quinn’s own knife to deliver a fatal electric shock and a stab to his chest, effectively ending Quinn’s reign of terror. To Summer and the good Quinn, it becomes clear that they will never meet Lucy again, as she had jumped 21 years into the future; however, their disbelief is shattered when Lucy seemingly materializes out of nowhere in their time, assuring them both that she intends to remain with them from now on.

Instead of constantly drawing parallels between “Time Cut” and the ending of “Avengers: Endgame”, let’s consider that Lucy, in essence, embodies a selfless act reminiscent of Captain America. She chooses to return to a time where she can have a life filled with a sister and not just an influential figure she could never measure up to. Moreover, she seeks a family who aren’t the sorrowful, grieving individuals she once knew in her original reality, but rather, people capable of happiness. However, this decision raises many questions about Lucy’s initial timeline and whether a variant of herself persists within it.

Does This Mean Lucy No Longer Exists In 2024?

Towards the conclusion of Time Cut, Quinn and Summer inquire about Lucy’s reason for returning to 2003 instead of staying in her initial timeline. Her explanation, however, only raises further questions if we’re being truthful. Although she acknowledges attempting to return to her original reality to check for changes, Lucy discloses that her parents failed to recognize her.

Since Summer survived and no new child was conceived in her parents’ family after her, it seems likely that there is no Lucy existing in the year 2024. The fact that Lucy’s parents didn’t recognize her suggests they didn’t have another daughter, or if they did, she wasn’t Lucy. This raises questions about whether Lucy would have existed at all had Summer not died. If Lucy prevented Summer’s death, it might suggest that in 2024 there could be a different version of herself existing, but it also leaves us to ponder if instead she would have returned to her original timeline with some alterations due to her time-traveling experiences.

Independent of any other circumstances, by the film’s conclusion, Lucy is a young woman who seems to be displaced in time, finding her best fit in the year 2003. It is here where she can spend the rest of her life with Summer and Quinn, while also carrying the memory of the events that unfolded over the past two decades.

How Time Cut Could Have Ended

In contrast to many movies that end on a brighter note, “Time Cut” chose an ending that went against traditional time-travel logic and carried a more somber tone. During discussions about the film’s conclusion with Netflix Tudum following its premiere, director Hannah Macpherson revealed one concept she considered during production:

Among the multiple conclusions we considered, one involved both sisters being alive concurrently in the present, with Summer being twenty years older than Lucy. However, we found a scenario where 45-year-old Summer and teenage Lucy coexisting less joyful compared to the two as teenagers sharing their lives. It simply felt right, despite any complications that might arise from time travel.

In the context of the story, it seems unlikely that another baby was conceived after Summer’s death due to the fact that Lucy’s parents made the decision for a new baby much later. If we consider the possibility that Summer persuaded her parents to have another child, there would still be an issue with their age gap being too large, which would affect the sibling relationship they had in 2003.

In summary, the ending of “Time Cut” effectively ties up loose ends, although it can become complex when pondered upon excessively. It may not be one of the top Netflix films, but its blend of sci-fi and slasher genres makes it a worthy addition to the collection of excellent time travel movies.

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2024-11-07 02:38