History Film / Predestination

* [[spoiler: FallenHero:]] See above.

* UnproblematicProstitution: The Star Corps recruits physically fit, intelligent women to provide sexual and emotional comfort for astronauts on long term missions, and the recruiters interest in Jane's aptitude for mathematics and physics implies they work as BridgeBunnies when not performing this function. Rather than prostitutes (who are often psychologically unsuitable for space work anyway) the recruiters prefer virgins because they can be trained from scratch. Jane mentions that you're guaranteed to end up with a husband as such women are the [[CommonalityConnection only kind astronauts can relate to]] by the end of their own careers.

* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: The Temporal Bureau's stated goal is to prevent crimes before they happen due to their knowledge of the future, and John is stated to have saved thousands of lives, but the only case we actually see them working on is [[MyGreatestFailure their greatest failure]]: the Fizzle Bomber's 1975 attack in New York City.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/predestination.jpg]]

* AgeCut: At the end, several previous close-up shots are cut together to show a character's entire personal history in chronological order for the first time.

* AgeCut: [[spoiler:At the end, several previous close-up shots are cut together to show the character's entire personal history in chronological order for the first time.]]

-->'''Robertson''': "[[spoiler: John's]] life had to be fouled up so [[spoiler: he]] had nothing to go back to. [[spoiler: He]] had to want this."

* FlashbackMontageRealization: A version of this is seen at the end, flashing back to the earlier scene where [[spoiler:the Barkeeper to John that he is him from a different point in time, and following is a series of snapshots (all shots from previous scenes) of the character throughout his/her life, from infancy to the present day, confirming they are the same person and showing the character's entire personal history in chronological order for the first time.]]

* NeverTrustATrailer: Big time. The trailer makes this film look like an action-packed sci adventure when there are only two action scenes in the film, and it's really more of a sci-fi drama.

-->'''Robertson''': "It had to be this way. [[spoiler: John's]] life had to be fouled up so [[spoiler: he]] had nothing to go back to. [[spoiler: He]] had to want this."

-->'''John''': "What, you've never done anything stupid for love?"

* [[spoiler: HiredToHuntYourself]]: Of TheReveal kind. [[spoiler: The Barkeep discovers that the notorious Fizzle Bomber, the terrorist he's been hunting for years, is the older version of himself.]]

-->John: "I was young and in love."
-->Barkeep: "Famous last words."
-->John: "What, you've never done anything stupid for love?"
-->Barkeep: "Once."

* SobriquetSexSwitch: Jane changes her name to John once she transitions to a man. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by the Barkeep, who says that it's "not terribly original."

* SpeculativeFictionLGBT: Jane/John is intersex, and her transition from living as a woman to living as a man is a major plot point.

* CityNoir: Shady characters with hats and [[TrenchcoatBrigade trenchcoats]], a mysterious organization and [[SmokingIsCool cool smoking]]. Similar in style to the Spierig brothers previous work ''Film/{{Daybreakers}}''.

** When Jane's baby is snatched, John describes the snatcher having a "face shaped face like yours and mine" which is foreshadowing [[spoiler:that they are one and the same person]].

* MagicPlasticSurgery: [[spoiler: John gets plastic surgery where his face is being completely replaced after getting severely burned, and his character goes from being played by Sarah Snook to being played by Creator/EthanHawke. There are no scars or oddities visible after the surgery wounds have healed.]]

* NeverTrustATrailer: Big time. The trailer makes this film look like an action packed sci adventure, when there's only two action scenes in the film, and it's really more of a sci-fi drama.
* NobodyCallsMeChicken: {{Downplayed}}. There is a short scene in which young Jane gets into a CatFight with another girl from the orphanage over some name calling.

** The opening BombDisposal sequence is revisited later, when we see that [[spoiler:the Barkeeper]] was the mysterious man pushing the violin case towards the man on the ground who turns out to be [[spoiler:John]].

* TheWatson: John, when being introduced to to time travelling. He constantly asks questions about the concept and the Barkeeper is more than happy to play MrExposition.

--> '''You're a gift given to the world through a [[spoiler:[[StableTimeLoop predestination paradox]]]]. You're the only one free from history, ancestry.