Once upon a time, stories were told chronologically. Characters were introduced, tension built up to a climax and it ended with a satisfying resolution. But that's too old-fashioned for today's filmmakers. I saw the Aussie movie
Wish You Were Here today, and although it's by no means indecipherable in its shifts back and forth along various narrative threads and timelines, it got me thinking. The relatively mundane and predictable storyline had been jumbled up and disordered to create an artificial tension. Had it been presented in chronological order, there would have been little interest. It was only the deliberate withholding of information by means of tricky editing that allowed the viewer to experience suspense and maintain interest. Does this make is a lesser film than something with an inherently compelling story? Maybe. But I still appreciated it nonetheless.
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