MovieChat Forums > Coherence (2014) Discussion > SPOILERS: Emily Realizes the Discrepancy...

SPOILERS: Emily Realizes the Discrepancy In Timelines/Realities at 46:11


I just watched Coherence last night and have already read through the boards, but haven't seen anyone mention this. Emily realizes at 46:11 something is wrong as she hears for the second time in the evening the convo between Beth and Lee about the little vase on the kitchen sill. She then backs up a few steps and leans against a table. Boom! She knows something is not right with the people she is in the house with; that they all didn't come from her "original" house.

As we all know, along with the parallel realities so too are those realities on different timelines, thus the group figuring out that the other house (because they only think there is one other house at this point) couldn't have the book yet because Beth was assumed to be sleeping in the other house Mike spies on. But all the groups end up coming to the same conclusion and make the same choices with respect to the box, rolling the die, writing numbers on the pics and selecting a quick code to place in a lockbox outside the house so they can find their correct house if they go outside.

The funny thing is through the entirety of the movie they all think the other house is far away when in reality right when they step outside and walk back up to the house they are already in a different reality. That is how while Hugh is writing the note to leave on the other door, the Hugh in another reality, on a slightly more accelerated timeline has already left it on the door, and later on another note gets left on the door as that timeline catches up. Same with the almost immediate knock to the sidedoor after Hugh leaves the first time. It is the same house over and over and over, just in different realities/timelines. They aren't really "walking" anywhere when outside though it feels like it to them.Just stepping outside is what causes the "roulette" to spin.

At the beginning, the only people original to that home are Mike, Lee and Beth. And we already know Amir and Laurie are already from another reality/timeline as Laurie does not know Mike was a main character on her fave show Roswell, indicating she came from a different reality/timeline in which Mike clearly never was on Roswell.

Then everyone steps outside to look at the comet, ooo ahhh. Later on in one of the homes, Em determines that the Lee and Beth in that house are from that home because they never left the house and told her the same dice numbers that were written down. This would indicate that all Lees and Beths in all the homes are always from that original home as neither ever left the home, but there seems to be an error there since they ALL leave the house to look at the comet. Therefore when they come back in, Beth and Lee are from a timeline where they haven't had the convo yet about the vase, yet it is still the same Em we have been following the entire time (her obviously being the main character of the movie). And none of them are from the house they go back into after looking at the comet because none of them have any clue why the glass is broken all of a sudden. A glass we later see Lee cleaning in another reality/timeline.

Something else i thought was an error. Amir really does see Hugh place the box because that is the Hugh from that house. Amir sees his Hugh go around the side of the house because that is what his Hugh is there for. When they get back to the original house we know they are in the wrong house because when they read from the book, and parse it all out, Amir is noted to have seen that the red glowstick box is not open and he and Hugh have a whispered discussion which we do not hear. But, when everyone is out of the room they pull their red glowsticks out of their pockets, Amir points out the red box in that house was never opened and they need to get outta there, so they pack up the lockbox from their house (with the ping pong paddle) and leave. THEN later on the real Hugh and Amir return again, with a different bandaid because that part happened in another house but for whatever reason they both eventually made it back to the "original" house where the others told them they had already been back. Hopefully all this explanation reads right because there seem to be some small errors here. That or what am i missing?!

This movie was a great mindbender! Anyone have thoughts on the above?

reply

I never thought just going on the porch to look at the comet was enough to switch realities... that they had to go through the "dark zone" between houses to switch.

It would make it hard for Em to enter Happy House, since she's outside when she looks in and sees Happy People, so would switch to a different reality by being outside. She even sneaks in, grabs the Special K, and goes back out to the smash a car window. She would have lost Happy House if just going outside is enough. The "dark zone" is apparently further away than where the cars are parked.

I like your observation about the vase conversation. Em definitely realizes right them and there that these aren't her Lee and Beth. She and the Glowstick Four have moved to a new reality, having passed through the "dark zone" between houses. They even creep up to look in the windows of another house.

reply

You may want to download my time line sheet I just re-posted. All your answers are in there. Cheers!

reply

Why did you even bother putting "SPOILERS" in the title of this thread if you were going to just put spoilers IN THE EFFIN' TITLE?!

reply

"Laurie does not know Mike was a main character on her fave show Roswell, indicating she came from a different reality/timeline in which Mike clearly never was on Roswell."

Ohhhh! Mind blown. But I didn't think any of them had gone outside at that point. Or are you saying the timelines got scrambled on the way to the party?

reply

good point

reply

[deleted]