Bad Timing



Bad Timing is a 1980 psychological thriller directed by Nicolas Roeg.

Lovers Alex (Art Garfunkel) and Milena (Theresa Russell) meet in Vienna. But before that, they break up. And before that, they have sex for the first time. But before all that, they have sex for the last time. This all comes after she is rushed to the hospital after an attempted suicide. It's just that kind of story.

Also features Harvey Keitel as a self-admittedly bad detective, who interrogates Alex while Milena's fate hangs in the balance in a nearby emergency room. The story of the doomed relationship unfolds via this interrogation, and as such is presented out-of-sequence, often returning to a couple key points of the narrative as the detective repeatedly questions Alex about the parts of his story that don't add up.

Eventually the timeline of the movie jumps to events after the interrogation, as the detective continues his investigation, which leads him down some interesting paths that involve Milena's estranged husband and secret government operations.

But all that isn't really the point. The real focus of the movie is of the obsession and instability that governs the two lover's tryst, and the dark side to the lust that fuels it. Be prepared for plenty of histrionic screaming fits and uncomfortable sex scenes.

Bad Timing provides examples of:
"Netusil: (After momentarily losing the thread of his line of questioning) Where was I?
 * Anachronic Order: The story is presented entirely out of order, starting with a scene from the middle of the relationship playing under the title credits, jumping to Milena's entry to the hospital at the end of the relationship, and continuing like that for the rest of the film, shuffling the events of the timeline like a deck of cards.
 * Conviction by Contradiction: Played with. Inspector Netusil definitely tries to use a couple of these (the station left on in Alex's car radio at the time he picked up Milena, his choice brand of cigarettes found in her apartment) to indict Alex. But Alex calls him out on it:

Alex: Making incorrect assumptions."


 * Destructive Romance
 * Everybody Smokes: Cigarettes are featured in just about every scene in the movie being smoked by nearly every character.
 * Gaussian Girl: A strange case as it's used in one scene late in the film to accentuate Milena's vulnerability and sadness, not beauty.
 * Match Cut: This film depends on these to create narrative unity throughout despite the chaotic timeline.
 * Not So Different: Inspector Netusil uses this tact to try and coax a confession out of Alex.
 * Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Keitel's Inspector Netusil is an Austrian who occasionally speaks with a thick Brooklyn accent.
 * Princess Swears A Lot: Milena. Cluster F Bombs abound in her dialog.
 * Ramping Shot: A surprising amount for this sort of drama.
 * Rape as Drama: The twisted nature of the relationship arrives at its logical extreme at the end of the film when we see
 * Yandere: Milena increasingly embodies this over the course of the movie.