Reset

Reset 2017

Directed by

Alban Teurlai

Alban Teurlai

Made by

FilmRise

FilmRise

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Reset Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Reset (2017). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.


Xia Tian, a research scientist at Nexus Corporation, leads a team that is racing to unlock wormhole technology capable of connecting with parallel universes. Under the watchful eye of the Director, their work promises incredible possibilities, but the science is unstable: test animals become uncontrollably aggressive and their cells begin to deteriorate. The stakes escalate when IPT Lab, a rival organization that has been pursuing the same breakthrough, hires Tsui Hu to steal Nexus’s hard-won research.

The nightmare begins when Tsui Hu kidnaps Xia Tian’s young son, Dou Dou, and imposes an impossible deadline: deliver all the research within one hour or watch Dou Dou suffer the consequences. Xia Tian fights against the clock, clutching at every chance the project’s unstable wormhole mechanism offers. She manages to secure the data, but the clock runs out before she can reach Tsui Hu, and the threat becomes all too real when Dou Dou is killed. The loss shatters Xia Tian, and the longing to rescue her son compels her to push beyond the boundaries of science.

Driven by grief and determination, Xia Tian activates the particle accelerator, stepping into a parallel universe to change the outcome. She travels not merely across space but back in time, arriving a staggering hour and fifty minutes earlier. In this second universe, she seizes a bold second chance: she slips into her doppelgänger’s life and acts with the advantage of foresight. This version moves quicker, retrieves Dou Dou again, and—confident in her grasp of events—feeds Tsui Hu a set of fake data. Yet even with the deception, Tsui Hu is relentless, and Dou Dou is lost once more as he closes in on the truth.

Hope flickers in a third universe where reality has split into even more possibilities, giving Xia Tian a dramatic new reality: here there are three versions of Xia Tian. The original Xia Tian (#1) has become deeply aggressive, while the doppelgänger (#2) has learned from past mistakes and uses a more cautious approach. The third version (#3) remains largely unchanged and has not traveled through parallel worlds. With Dou Dou in danger, the three women converge in a tense conflict: Xia Tian #1 aims to emerge as the sole guardian of Dou Dou, ready to sacrifice the others to secure his safety. Xia Tian #2, however, refuses to let the past horrors define the future and collaborates to protect Dou Dou. The trio discovers that the Director once betrayed Xia Tian, collaborating with Tsui Hu in a vendetta following his dismissal from the project, even orchestrating Dou Dou’s kidnapping to torment Xia Tian and force the project to prove itself.

The true motives behind Tsui Hu’s actions come to light: he too was a subject in IPT Lab’s experiments and clings to the hope of traveling to a universe where he can save his wife and child. In a climactic confrontation, Tsui Hu destroys the Director during a heated exchange over the research data, and Xia Tian #1 shoots Tsui Hu, ending his threat. As he dies, Tsui Hu warns that the test subjects from IPT Lab have a history of turning on one another, and that the same fate could befall the women who wield the power of the wormholes.

What follows is a tense standoff inside the Nexus lab. Xia Tian #1 remains intent on being the sole survivor who can be with Dou Dou, but Xia Tian #2 ends her life in a measured act to accept the cost of her choices and the price of the pursuit of power. Xia Tian #3, the unaltered version who has not crossed universes, is allowed to leave with Dou Dou and head toward a hospital to reunite with him. The Nexus Lab, now a fractured symbol of ambition and danger, teeters on the edge of destruction as Xia Tian #2 tries to activate the accelerator one last time. The outcome remains unclear: she may have slipped into another universe, or she may have perished in the lab’s catastrophic explosion.

In the quiet after the storm, a year passes and the surviving Xia Tian finds a fragile, hopeful calm. No longer employed, she builds a simple life with Dou Dou, savoring ordinary moments that previously felt out of reach. The tale closes on a note of hard-won peace, with the possibility of future adventures left tantalizingly open, as the memory of what was sacrificed lingers in the air and in Dou Dou’s steady presence by her side.

Reset Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of Reset (2017) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.


Nexus wormhole project launches

Xia Tian leads a Nexus Corporation team to develop wormhole travel to parallel universes. Early tests reveal dangerous side effects: test animals become aggressive and their cellular structures deteriorate. The Director oversees the project, setting a volatile course for the research.

early stage of the project Nexus Lab

IPT Lab hires Tsui Hu to steal the research

IPT Lab hires Tsui Hu to steal Nexus's wormhole research, kicking off a ruthless corporate espionage race. The plan pits rivals against each other and puts Xia Tian's work in immediate danger. The theft promises significant consequences for everyone involved.

before the theft IPT Lab

Dou Dou is kidnapped; Xia Tian given one hour

Tsui Hu kidnaps Dou Dou and gives Xia Tian one hour to deliver all Nexus research. The clock ticks as the theft unfolds, forcing a collision between family, science, and espionage.

1 hour deadline Nexus Building

Xia Tian retrieves data but Dou Dou is killed

Xia Tian obtains the research but arrives too late to Tsui Hu’s hideout. Tsui Hu kills Dou Dou before she can intervene, driving Xia Tian to despair and resolve.

within the hour deadline Tsui Hu's location

Time travel to a parallel universe

Overcome by grief, Xia Tian activates the particle accelerator and travels to a parallel universe, arriving 1 hour 50 minutes earlier. The time jump reshapes the sequence of events and provides a chance to change the outcome.

1 hour 50 minutes earlier Nexus Lab

Second universe: doppelgänger replaces Xia Tian

In the second universe, Xia Tian's doppelgänger steps into her place and acts swiftly to recover Dou Dou. She presents the research to Tsui Hu but feeds him fake data, delaying him and endangering Dou Dou. Tsui Hu pursues them, and Dou Dou is killed.

second universe timeline Second universe

Arrival in the third universe: three Xia Tians

Arriving in the third universe, three versions of Xia Tian converge: the aggressive original (#1), the cunning copy (#2), and the untouched future version (#3). The trio teams up to dodge Tsui Hu and his henchmen, and Dou Dou is moved to a hospital.

upon arrival Third universe

Director's betrayal revealed

Xia Tian learns the Director, angry at being fired and sidelined, has been colluding with Tsui Hu to punish Xia Tian and force proof of the technology. The revelation heightens the stakes as loyalties unravel and the fight expands beyond personal grievances.

third universe timeline Nexus Lab

Tsui Hu kills the Director; warns of chaos

In a confrontation over the data, Tsui Hu kills the Director, then is shot by Xia Tian #1. As he dies, he warns that IPT Lab's test subjects will turn on each other, hinting at a grim future for all the women.

third universe Nexus Lab

Final standoff and a hopeful split

The three Xia Tians stage a final standoff in the Nexus Lab. Xia Tian #1 tries to claim Dou Dou as the sole survivor, but Xia Tian #2 kills her, accepting that she will die from cell deterioration. Xia Tian #3, unchanged, is allowed to leave for the hospital with Dou Dou.

final moment Nexus Lab

Accelerator activation and ambiguous fate

As the lab begins to explode, Xia Tian #2 triggers the particle accelerator, leaving her fate ambiguous—whether she travels to another universe or perishes in the blast.

final moment Nexus Lab

Xia Tian #3 reaches hospital with Dou Dou

Xia Tian #3, untouched by the temporal chaos, makes it to the hospital and is reunited with Dou Dou.

immediately after the escape Hospital

One year later: a quiet life with Dou Dou

One year later, the surviving Xia Tian is unemployed but living a simple, content life with Dou Dou. The turmoil of the multiverse remains behind, replaced by a fragile, peaceful routine.

one year later Home

Reset Characters

Explore all characters from Reset (2017). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.


Xia Tian (Yang Mi)

A brilliant Nexus Corporation research scientist whose devotion to her son Dou Dou drives her to risk everything. Across the film, she confronts multiple versions of herself across parallel universes, balancing duty with maternal love. Her arc reveals resilience, resourcefulness, and moral complexity as she navigates betrayal and the consequences of pursuing dangerous tech.

🔬 Scientist 👩‍👧 Mother 🧠 Determined

Tsui Hu (Wallace Huo)

A skilled operative hired by a rival agency to steal Nexus's research. He embodies ruthless pragmatism and a willingness to break rules, driven by a personal motive to save his wife and child. His pursuit intensifies the time-travel conflict across universes and positions him as the central antagonist.

🕵️ Antagonist 🧭 Strategic 🔪 Ruthless

Dou Dou (Hummer Zhang)

Xia Tian's son, kidnapped by Tsui Hu, whose safety motivates the entire mission. His presence is the emotional center of the story, symbolizing innocence and the high personal cost of scientific ambition. His fate drives the action and tests the limits of his mother's determination.

👶 Child 💙 Innocence 🧸 Hope

The Director (King Shih-Chieh)

The head of the Nexus project who colludes with Tsui Hu, revealing the corporate appetite for power at any cost. His betrayal catalyzes the conflict and exposes the darker side of high-stakes research. He meets a fatal consequence that underscores the dangers of unchecked ambition.

🏢 Betrayal 💼 Corporate Power 🗡️ Treachery

Reset Settings

Learn where and when Reset (2017) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.


Time period

Near future

The film unfolds in a contemporary setting fed by near-future tech, where wormhole experiments enable travel to parallel universes. Time manipulation creates pressure as Xia Tian navigates an hour-plus time rewind across multiple realities. A year passes from the central crisis to the final resolutions, marking a tangible shift in the characters' lives.

Location

Nexus Laboratory, IPT Lab, Nexus Building

The story centers on Nexus Laboratory, a high-security research facility where wormhole technology is tested. IPT Lab is a rival agency that seeks to steal Nexus's research, highlighting the intense corporate competition. Key confrontations unfold within the Nexus Building, illustrating a futuristic lab environment and the high-stakes atmosphere surrounding the project.

🏢 Corporate labs 🔬 Advanced research facilities 🌐 Multiverse hubs

Reset Themes

Discover the main themes in Reset (2017). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.


🌌

Identity & Duplicates

The story centers on Xia Tian's encounters with doppelgängers across parallel universes, forcing her to confront different facets of herself. Each duplicate makes unique moral choices under pressure, revealing how identity can be shaped by circumstance. The film uses these copies to explore loyalty, self-preservation, and the consequences of ambition run amok.

Time & Paradox

Time travel creates a cascading chain of consequences as Xia Tian repeatedly alters events to save Dou Dou. The hour-and-fifty-minute rewind and multi-universe pursuit challenge conventional cause-and-effect logic. The narrative uses these loops to probe sacrifice, moral boundaries, and the fragility of outcomes.

👩‍👧

Maternal Sacrifice

Xia Tian's love for Dou Dou drives her to take enormous risks with dangerous technology. The kidnapping plot amplifies personal loss into decisive action, even across shifting timelines. The film frames motherhood as a source of strength and a test of resolve amid corporate malice.

🏢

Betrayal & Power

The Director's alliance with Tsui Hu exposes the moral rot behind the project, showing how power can corrupt scientific pursuit. Corporate rivalry weaponizes research, using lives as leverage in a dangerous power struggle. The resolution highlights the costs of betrayal and the fragility of control over transformative technology.

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Reset Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of Reset (2017). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.


In the storied halls of the Paris Opera Ballet, a quiet revolution is taking shape. Benjamin Millepied, a celebrated choreographer known for his daring imagination, steps into the role of artistic director with a singular mission: to breathe fresh life into a centuries‑old institution. The film follows his arrival, capturing the delicate balance between reverence for tradition and the urgent desire to push the boundaries of movement, music, and design.

Around Millepied, a constellation of creative voices lends depth to the unfolding narrative. Nico Muhly, the composer whose scores ripple through the dancers’ bodies, offers insight into how sound can become a catalyst for transformation. Aurélie Dupont, a veteran ballerina whose presence anchors the company’s legacy, provides a perspective that bridges the past and the present. Meanwhile, visionary fashion designer Iris van Herpen reflects on the visual language of costume, illustrating how fabric and form can reshape the audience’s experience of ballet. Their conversations, interwoven with rehearsal footage, reveal the collaborative tension that fuels artistic renewal.

Visually, the documentary moves with the fluid elegance of the art it examines, pairing sweeping shots of the historic theater with intimate close‑ups of rehearsals, sketches, and quiet moments backstage. Its tone is both celebratory and contemplative, inviting viewers to feel the weight of heritage while sensing the electric possibility of change. Through candid interviews and unscripted encounters, the film paints a portrait of a creative leader navigating the complexities of stewardship, ambition, and the relentless pursuit of beauty in a world where every step carries the echo of history and the promise of tomorrow.

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