What Is Volition About?
The premise of Volition in 331 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In a restless city where every streetlight flickers with the residue of untold stories, Jimmy lives a modest life that belies the turmoil inside him. Gifted—or cursed—with a restless clairvoyance, he can glimpse fragments of the future, a talent he has learned to monetize through low‑stakes wagers on sports. Yet the gift is a double‑edged sword; a childhood vision of his mother’s sudden death left him convinced that the strands of his own destiny are already woven, and that free will is an illusion.
That conviction is shattered when a new, disturbing premonition shows Jimmy his own demise. The image is sharp, relentless, and it ignites a frantic need to uncover who is behind it and why. Haunted by the feeling that every decision might already be written, he is forced to confront the gnawing question of whether he can ever truly alter the course laid before him. The urgency of his quest turns ordinary moments into a ticking clock, each heartbeat echoing the looming shadow of that fatal future.
Amidst this internal storm, Angela appears—a stranger whose brief encounter offers a fleeting glimpse of ordinary connection. Their chance meeting becomes a cornerstone of his desperate search, pulling him into a network of relationships that are as layered and secretive as the city itself. Old acquaintances and new faces hint at a world where loyalty is uncertain and every smile may conceal a hidden agenda. Their interactions inject both tension and a fragile hope, suggesting that the answers Jimmy seeks might be tied to the very people he least expects.
The film unfolds as a gritty, atmospheric thriller that blends noir‑like visual grit with a pulse‑quickening psychological edge. It asks whether knowledge of a possible future is a burden too heavy to bear, or a catalyst for change. As Jimmy races against an ever‑tightening deadline, the audience is drawn into a maze of secrets, dread, and the haunting question: can one truly rewrite destiny when it feels already etched in stone?
What Happens in Volition?
The complete story of Volition, from the first scene to the last, in 987 words (about 4 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 3 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
Jimmy is a reformed ex-criminal living a quiet, low-key life, using his gift of clairvoyance to make small bets on sports. On a routine walk home, he intervenes when he sees two men harassing a woman in an alley, throwing himself into a confrontation that leaves him battered but unintentionally wins the woman’s admiration. The woman, Angela Magda Apanowicz, introduces herself with a smile and, in a moment that feels almost fated, Jimmy channels a vision of her showing up at his apartment with a case of beer, laughing and flirting as they share a drink. He tells her where he lives if she ever wants to visit, and the moment marks the start of a complicated connection built on shared estrangement from family and a guarded hope for something more.
Sal, an old friend recently released from jail, reconnects Jimmy with Ray John Cassini, a drug trafficker who wants Jimmy to fence millions of dollars’ worth of stolen diamonds for a cut of the spoils. Jimmy wrestles with doubt, torn between a chance at a new future and the creeping sense that his visions may indicate an unchangeable path. Yet a vision hints at a future where he accepts the deal, nudging him toward a choice that he feels he cannot alter, even as a stubborn desire for control flickers in his chest.
Angela becomes a tangible presence in Jimmy’s life, arriving at his apartment with the beer just as the premonition foretold. In their conversation, Jimmy opens up about the loss of his mother in his youth and the distance from his foster father; Angela confesses that she’s estranged from her own parents as well, and the two find a fragile common ground, a shared vulnerability that makes their bond feel urgent and real.
Meanwhile, Sal and his partner Terry Aleks Paunovic scheme to double-cross Ray and steal the diamonds for themselves. The plan spirals out of control when they break into Jimmy’s apartment while he and Angela are on the run in her car. Angela’s fear is palpable, and she presses Jimmy to reveal what’s really going on. Jimmy explains his clairvoyance in blunt terms and revisits a childhood memory of his mother’s death in a car accident, a trauma that has left him feeling hopeless and convinced that free will might be an illusion. The fear of a future in which he is killed intensifies the moment and drives the narrative toward the fateful confrontation to come.
The story pivots toward a revelation: Elliot, Jimmy’s quantum-physicist foster dad, appears in Jimmy’s mind and in the physical space as events converge. The plan unfolds with a brutal intrusion as Sal, Ray, and Terry break into Elliot’s house. A tense confrontation escalates until Ray fatally shoots Angela, a blow that leaves Jimmy reeling. In a desperate move, Elliot injects Jimmy with a mysterious syringe, and Jimmy slips into unconsciousness.
When he awakens, he is not in his own time but in a version of the same house now dated to 1994. Elliot explains that Jimmy has been injected with a time-travel drug, and that the ability to move through time and return is the key to his clairvoyance. Armed with this power, Jimmy resolves to travel back to the present, refuse the diamond deal, and rescue Angela from a fatal fate. He takes another dose and plunges back into the present, where he intercepts Sal and Terry’s robbery and hands the diamonds over to Elliot. He hides in the hedges as a second version of himself arrives, creating a disorienting echo of reality. The original Jimmy witnesses the moment when Ray shoots Angela again, and an unknown assailant shoots the original him. With his last breath, the time-traveling Jimmy injects himself once more, his body beginning to fragment under the strain of looping through time. He glimpses himself in the roles of both the harasser and the intoxicated man he once bumped into, underscoring the unsettling permeability of identity across timelines.
Back in Elliot’s lab, the timeline diverges again as Jimmy battles Terry in the backyard. A stray gunshot from Terry fires, striking the version of Jimmy hiding nearby in the bushes. The present-day Jimmy storms into the house, only to be shot by Ray, seemingly fulfilling the earlier vision. As he bleeds, he manages to warn Ray about the double-cross, and Terry kills Ray before fleeing with Sal. The act of violence becomes a catalyst for another journey through time, as Jimmy travels again and materializes in Elliot’s lab years before their first meeting.
In this earlier moment, Elliot tends to the dying stranger and notices the silver liquid seeping from the time-travel drug. He realizes that a future version of himself has already perfected the drug he is currently developing. Jimmy urges Elliot to go to the foster home and adopt James Odin—his younger self—planting the seed for a potential safer path for the boy.
A version of Jimmy witnesses a fight in present-day Elliot’s laboratory, but the outcome is altered: Angela is only wounded in the shoulder, not fatally. The possibility of change lingers, and Jimmy grasps that his choices—made in the heat of the moment and revisited across iterations of time—can alter the trajectory of lives around him. The narrative closes on a note of fragile hope, rooted in the belief that decisions in the right moment can alter a fate that once seemed predetermined.
In this tale where fate and agency collide, the viewer is drawn into a meditation on consequences, memory, and the power—and peril—of altering time. The fabric of reality is tested by each decision Jimmy makes, and the line between prediction and action becomes increasingly porous as the characters navigate love, loyalty, and the temptation of escape through time. The result is a patient, propulsive exploration of cause and effect, propelled by a haunting sense that every choice can bend the future in unexpected, sometimes hopeful, directions.
Volition Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
12 key events in the order they happen, from “Jimmy intervenes when a woman is harassed” to “A new present: Angela survives in another timeline”. 12 events name a place, across 12 locations.
- 1
Jimmy intervenes when a woman is harassed
Jimmy uses his clairvoyance to sense trouble and intervenes as two men harass a woman in an alley. He fights them off, though they're battered and flee. The woman, Angela, is impressed by his chivalry and introduces herself; Jimmy has a vision of her visiting his apartment in the future.
When:evening, present day Where:alley
- 2
Angela visits Jimmy after his vision
Angela later shows up at Jimmy's apartment with a case of beer. They talk about their lives; he reveals his mother died when he was young and he's estranged from his foster father. Angela says she is estranged from her parents as well, laying the groundwork for a connection.
When:present day Where:Jimmy's apartment
- 3
Sal and Ray recruit Jimmy for a diamond fence
Sal introduces Jimmy to Ray, a drug trafficker who wants him to fence millions in stolen diamonds. Jimmy hesitates but catches a vision of himself taking the deal, which he interprets as proof that his future is fixed. He agrees to take the diamonds.
When:present day Where:Sal's circle
- 4
Break-in at Jimmy's apartment sparks flight and revelation
Sal and Terry break into Jimmy's apartment as Jimmy and Angela flee in her car. Angela is terrified and demands answers. Jimmy explains his clairvoyance and recalls a vision of his mother's death, which shakes him and foreshadows his perceived lack of control over fate.
When:present day Where:Jimmy's apartment / car
- 5
Warning and plan to visit Elliot
Jimmy has a vision of Elliot, his quantum-physicist foster dad. He and Angela drive toward Elliot's house seeking answers. The sequence reinforces that time travel may hinge on the drug and could allow changing what seems preordained.
When:present day Where:en route to Elliot's house
- 6
Elliot's house attack; Angela is shot
Sal, Ray, and Terry break into Elliot's house while Jimmy and Angela are there. Sal accuses Jimmy of double-crossing them, and Ray fatally shoots Angela. Elliot injects Jimmy with a syringe, and Jimmy loses consciousness as the house seems to tilt toward the impossible.
When:present day Where:Elliot's house
- 7
Jimmy discovers time travel revelation
Jimmy wakes in a closet and finds Elliot's house looking different. Elliot explains that Jimmy has been injected with a time travel drug and that the year is now 1994. He reveals that time travel and returning to the present power Jimmy's clairvoyance.
When:1994 Where:Elliot's house closet
- 8
Jimmy returns to the present to alter fate
With another dose, Jimmy travels back to the present and intervenes in Sal and Terry's robbery, moving the diamonds to Elliot's. He hides and watches a second version of himself arrive as events unfold, including Ray shooting Angela again. An unknown assailant shoots the original Jimmy, adding to the fatal chain of events.
When:present Where:present day, near Elliot's lab
- 9
The original Jimmy's death and mental fragmentation
The original Jimmy, wounded, injects himself with another dose of the time travel drug as the mental strain of time travel erupts. He experiences a breakdown, seeing himself as the people who harassed Angela and as the drunk man from earlier. The boundaries between timelines start to blur.
When:present Where:present
- 10
Back at Elliot's, a violent clash and double-cross revealed
Back at Elliot's, Jimmy fights Terry in the backyard while Ray's shot goes off, killing the version of himself hiding in the bushes. Jimmy enters the house and is shot by Ray, fulfilling his earlier vision. Terry kills Ray and flees with Sal, ending the immediate threat.
When:present Where:Elliot's house backyard
- 11
Jimmy travels to the past to help his younger self
Jimmy travels back in time and appears in Elliot's lab years before they meet. Elliot treats him and notices the silver liquid leaking from the time travel drug. Jimmy urges Elliot to adopt his younger self, James Odin, ensuring a future version survives.
When:years before present Where:Elliot's lab (past)
- 12
A new present: Angela survives in another timeline
In a version of events witnessed in the present, Angela is wounded but not killed; she ends up with a shoulder wound rather than a chest shot. Jimmy rushes to her, confident that he can change the future with his choices.
When:present Where:Elliot's home, present
Who Are the Main Characters in Volition?
7 characters, among them Jimmy, Angela and Elliot: who each one is and the part they play in the story. 6 of them link to the actor’s page.
- J
Jimmy
A reformed ex-criminal with clairvoyant gifts who uses premonitions to bet on sports and navigate danger. He believes his future may be predetermined, which fuels both his caution and his desperation to alter outcomes that threaten Angela’s life.
- 🔮 Clairvoyant
- 🕊️ Redemption
- ⏳ Time traveler
- A
Angela
Played by Magda Apanowicz
A woman who captivates Jimmy and becomes central to his motivations. She’s intelligent and resourceful, drawn to Jimmy’s chivalry and honesty even as she becomes entangled in the dangerous diamonds plot.
- 💖 Love interest
- 🧭 Catalyst
- 🗝️ Entangled
- E
Elliot
Played by Bill Marchant
A quantum-physicist foster father who mentors Jimmy and harbors the secret time-travel drug. His lab is where the time-travel technology is developed and where he guides Jimmy through the consequences of changing the future.
- 🧪 Scientist
- 🧭 Mentor
- ⏳ Time traveler
-
Ray
Played by John Cassini
A drug trafficker who initially collaborates with Jimmy but becomes entangled in a dangerous double-cross. He represents the immediate threat and the cynical logic of pursuing diamonds at all costs.
- 👊 Antagonist
- 💎 Diamond plot
- 🕵️♂️ Criminal
- S
Sal
Played by Frank Cassini
An old associate who schemes with Terry to steal the diamonds. He embodies the opportunistic underworld that intersects with Jimmy’s fragile attempts at a peaceful life.
- 🤝 Double-cross
- 🗝️ Heist
- 🕳️ Gang
-
Terry
Played by Aleks Paunovic
Sal’s goon who is ready to double-cross everyone to secure the diamonds. His involvement escalates the danger surrounding Jimmy and Angela.
- 🤼♂️ Muscle
- 🕶️ Criminal
- J
James
Played by Adrian Glynn McMorran
The younger version of Jimmy, James Odin, who is adopted into Elliot’s care as part of the time-travel plot. He represents the untapped past that Jimmy seeks to protect.
- 🧒 Young self
- 👶 Family
- 🕰️ Time link
Where and When Is Volition Set?
Volition is set in Jimmy's apartment, Elliot's laboratory and the foster home (Present day, with pivotal events in 1994). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
Present day, with pivotal events in 1994
The film primarily takes place in the present, following Jimmy's attempts to change his fate. A core portion of the story unfolds through flashbacks and time jumps to 1994, revealing the origin of the time-travel drug. The dual timeline creates parallel timelines that intersect as Jimmy revisits moments from the past. The clockwork of time travel drives the tension and consequences.
Where
Jimmy's apartment, Elliot's laboratory, the foster home
The story unfolds across contemporary urban settings centered on Jimmy's apartment and Elliot's lab. Elliot's laboratory doubles as a time-travel research space where the drug is developed. The narrative also visits the foster home where James Odin, Jimmy's younger self, begins his journey. Settings shift between these spaces as the time-travel plot evolves.
- 🏙️ Urban
- 🧪 Sci-fi
- 🕯️ Mystery
What Are the Themes of Volition?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Time Travel, Fate vs Free Will and Love & Loss.
-
01
Time Travel
Time travel is the engine of the plot, allowing Jimmy to glimpse possible futures and physically move between timelines. Each jump reshapes events, but also exacts a physical and mental toll on him. The story uses this mechanic to explore how memory and foresight influence present decisions.
-
02
Fate vs Free Will
Jimmy believes the future is pre-written, yet he clings to the hope that his choices can alter outcomes that threaten Angela’s life. The film toys with the tension between inevitability and personal agency as characters attempt to outrun the path they've seen. The constant shifting timelines forces reevaluation of what it means to change one's fate.
-
03
Love & Loss
Angela's relationship with Jimmy anchors the emotional core, making each loss feel personal. Betrayals and violence test loyalty, revealing the fragility of trust in a world where futures can be rewritten. The climax hinges on whether love can survive a manipulated timeline.
What Kind of Film Is Volition?
Tense in tone, with fast pacing and a very complex story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Tense
- Pacing
- Fast
- Story
- Very complex
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Bittersweet
A relentlessly tense and mind-bending sci-fi thriller that follows a desperate man's exhausting race against a predetermined fate, blending high-stakes action with the heavy emotional burden of grief and lost love.
- desperate
- anxious
- paranoid
- thrilling
- exhausting
- tragic
- time travel
- clairvoyance
- fate vs free will
- crime
Content notes: gun violence, physical assault, murder, psychological distress.
Quiz
How well do you remember Volition? Test yourself on the story.
