Overlay: Irreversible (2002) plot catalysts

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Errors	Missing	Unverified	Supported
2	2	0	5

How were these counts calculated?

Errors (2)

The chronological beginning of the story is the scene in the park where Alex is sequence-error The Park Scene (Chronological Start): The summary incorrectly identifies the apasequence-error

Missing (2)

The film opens with a prologue scene featuring 'The Butcher' (Philippe Nahon) fromitted-detail The Butcher Prologue: The summary omits the actual opening scene of the film (thomitted-detail

#Q ORIGINAL QUESTION

Regarding the film Irreversible (2002), what actions start the plot in motion?

#M ANNOTATED LLM RESPONSE

The plot of Gaspar Noé's Irreversible (2002) is famously told in reverse chronological order. Because of this structure, there are two ways to answer what "starts" the plot: the events that open the movie cinematically and the events that set the tragedy in motion chronologically.

1. The Chronological Start (The Causality)

If we look at the story as it happens in real-time, the plot is set in motion by a series of domestic and social choices during a single day in Paris.

The Pregnancy Reveal: The story begins with Alex (Monica Bellucci) and Marcus (Vincent Cassel) waking up in their apartment. The very first chronological action is Alex taking a pregnancy test, which comes back positive. This adds a layer of tragic irony to everything that follows, as she does not yet tell Marcus.
The Dream: Alex describes a prophetic dream to Marcus about a red tunnel that "breaks in two," which foreshadows the location of the upcoming assault.
The House Party (The Inciting Incident): Alex, Marcus, and Alex's ex-boyfriend Pierre (Albert Dupontel) attend a house party. At this party, Marcus's behavior is the primary catalyst for the plot. He becomes heavily intoxicated, uses cocaine, and begins behaving aggressively and flirtatiously with other women.
The Decision to Leave: Fed up with Marcus’s behavior and his refusal to leave with her, Alex decides to go home alone. Pierre tries to convince her to stay or let him escort her, but she refuses. Her decision to walk home and take a shortcut through a pedestrian underpass (the red tunnel) is the specific action that places her in the path of "Le Tenia," the man who brutally assaults her.

2. The Cinematic Start (The Narrative Hook)

The film actually opens near the end of the story’s timeline, immediately plunging the audience into the "motion" of a revenge mission.

The Search for 'Le Tenia': The movie begins with Marcus and Pierre frantically searching the streets of Paris for a man known only as "Le Tenia" (The Tapeworm). They are guided by two street criminals who claim to know where he is.
The Rectum Club: The plot's immediate cinematic motion is Marcus’s descent into an underground BDSM club called "The Rectum." His blind rage and physical aggression lead him to confront the wrong man, resulting in a chaotic fight where his arm is broken.
The Fire Extinguisher Scene: This opening sequence concludes with the most infamous scene in the film, where Pierre—the traditionally "civilized" character—snaps and uses a fire extinguisher to brutally kill the man they believe is Le Tenia (though the actual perpetrator watches from the background).

Summary of Key Actions

The plot is set in motion by a "domino effect" of small and large choices:

Marcus’s drug use and intoxication at the party.
Alex’s decision to leave the party alone to avoid Marcus’s behavior.
The choice to enter the underpass rather than taking a taxi or the street level.
Marcus’s decision to seek vigilante justice rather than staying with Alex at the hospital, which shifts the plot from a tragedy into a revenge thriller.

#F CORRECTION FEED (CLICK TO SEARCH)

[1] The chronological beginning of the story is the scene in the park where Alex is reading a book ('An Experiment with Time') while children play. The apartment scene follows this event.

[2] The film does not show the result of the test on screen. Alex looks at it and smiles, implying a positive result, but the object itself is not shown to the audience.

[3] Alex explicitly describes this dream to Marcus in the apartment scene, serving as foreshadowing for the assault in the red underpass.

[4] The film opens with a prologue scene featuring 'The Butcher' (Philippe Nahon) from Noé's previous film 'I Stand Alone' talking to another man in a room. He delivers the film's tagline 'Time destroys all things' before the camera moves to the street.

[5] During the fight in the Rectum club, the man Marcus attacks overpowers him and breaks his arm before Pierre intervenes.

[6] Pierre is the character who uses the fire extinguisher to kill the man in the club, not Marcus.

[7] The man killed is not Le Tenia. The actual rapist, Le Tenia, is shown watching the murder from the background/sidelines.

#O MISSED POINTS & OVERSIGHTS

Medium

The Butcher Prologue

The summary omits the actual opening scene of the film (the prologue with Philippe Nahon), which establishes the thematic premise ('Time destroys all things').

Medium

The Park Scene (Chronological Start)

The summary incorrectly identifies the apartment scene as the chronological start. The true start is the park scene, where Alex reads 'An Experiment with Time', a book that explains the film's structure and themes.

#C RELATED QUERIES

#01 What is the significance of the book Alex is reading in the park in Irreversible?

#02 Who is the man in the opening scene of Irreversible talking about time?

#03 Does Alex actually take a pregnancy test on screen in Irreversible?

#S SOURCES

reddit.com drjosephsuglia.com cineoutsider.com columbiaspectator.com reddit.com spoilertown.com wikipedia.org reddit.com criterionforum.org flipsidestudios.net thequietus.com

#R ORIGINAL AI RESPONSE

▼

The plot of Gaspar Noé's *Irreversible* (2002) is famously told in reverse chronological order. Because of this structure, there are two ways to answer what "starts" the plot: the events that open the movie cinematically and the events that set the tragedy in motion chronologically. ### 1. The Chronological Start (The Causality) If we look at the story as it happens in real-time, the plot is set in motion by a series of domestic and social choices during a single day in Paris. * **The Pregnancy Reveal:** The story begins with Alex (Monica Bellucci) and Marcus (Vincent Cassel) waking up in their apartment. The very first chronological action is Alex taking a pregnancy test, which comes back positive. This adds a layer of tragic irony to everything that follows, as she does not yet tell Marcus. * **The Dream:** Alex describes a prophetic dream to Marcus about a red tunnel that "breaks in two," which foreshadows the location of the upcoming assault. * **The House Party (The Inciting Incident):** Alex, Marcus, and Alex's ex-boyfriend Pierre (Albert Dupontel) attend a house party. At this party, **Marcus's behavior** is the primary catalyst for the plot. He becomes heavily intoxicated, uses cocaine, and begins behaving aggressively and flirtatiously with other women. * **The Decision to Leave:** Fed up with Marcus’s behavior and his refusal to leave with her, Alex decides to go home alone. Pierre tries to convince her to stay or let him escort her, but she refuses. Her decision to walk home and take a shortcut through a **pedestrian underpass (the red tunnel)** is the specific action that places her in the path of "Le Tenia," the man who brutally assaults her. ### 2. The Cinematic Start (The Narrative Hook) The film actually opens near the end of the story’s timeline, immediately plunging the audience into the "motion" of a revenge mission. * **The Search for 'Le Tenia':** The movie begins with Marcus and Pierre frantically searching the streets of Paris for a man known only as "Le Tenia" (The Tapeworm). They are guided by two street criminals who claim to know where he is. * **The Rectum Club:** The plot's immediate cinematic motion is Marcus’s descent into an underground BDSM club called "The Rectum." His blind rage and physical aggression lead him to confront the wrong man, resulting in a chaotic fight where his arm is broken. * **The Fire Extinguisher Scene:** This opening sequence concludes with the most infamous scene in the film, where Pierre—the traditionally "civilized" character—snaps and uses a fire extinguisher to brutally kill the man they believe is Le Tenia (though the actual perpetrator watches from the background). ### Summary of Key Actions The plot is set in motion by a "domino effect" of small and large choices: 1. **Marcus’s drug use and intoxication** at the party. 2. **Alex’s decision to leave the party alone** to avoid Marcus’s behavior. 3. **The choice to enter the underpass** rather than taking a taxi or the street level. 4. **Marcus’s decision to seek vigilante justice** rather than staying with Alex at the hospital, which shifts the plot from a tragedy into a revenge thriller.

#A DIRECT ANSWER (VERIFIED ANALYSIS)

▼

In Irreversible (2002), the plot is set in motion differently depending on the viewing perspective. Cinematically (as viewed), the film opens with a prologue featuring 'The Butcher' (Philippe Nahon) stating "Time destroys all things," followed by Marcus and Pierre's frantic search for "Le Tenia" which leads to the Rectum club. Chronologically (narrative timeline), the story begins with Alex in a park reading An Experiment with Time. The plot is then driven by her pregnancy (revealed in the subsequent apartment scene), her premonitory dream of a red tunnel, and the events at the party where Marcus's intoxication causes Alex to leave alone, leading her to the underpass where the tragedy occurs.

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