What Is Volition About?
The premise of Volition in 281 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In a restless city where the ordinary collides with the uncanny, a man named Jimmy walks a tightrope between his shady past and the quiet life he’s tried to build. Gifted—or cursed—with fleeting glimpses of the future, he discovers a chilling vision: his own murder. The image haunts him, turning routine choices into high‑stakes wagers on whether destiny is fixed or mutable. The film unfolds in a muted, neo‑noir palette, pairing gritty street realism with a subtle, almost scientific curiosity about cause and consequence.
Jimmy’s present is deliberately low‑key. He channels his foresight into modest sports bets, keeping his days uncomplicated and his nights uneventful. Yet the city is never far from his old life; old acquaintances drift back, and the promise of a simpler connection appears in the form of Angela, a stranger whose brief encounter sparks unexpected chemistry. At the same time, Elliot, a quietly brilliant quantum physicist who once took Jimmy in as a foster child, represents an enigmatic link between the ordinary world and the strange ability that haunts Jimmy. Their relationships pull him between comfort and the unsettling pull of the vision.
The mood balances dry humor with mounting dread, letting viewers feel the weight of a future that seems already written while still breathing with the possibility of choice. As Jimmy navigates loyalty, love, and the temptation to ignore the warning, the city itself becomes a character—its alleys, neon glare, and cramped apartments echoing the internal battle between fatalism and agency. The film invites the audience to wonder whether a single glance at the end can truly bind a life, or if the act of seeing can become the catalyst for rewriting what’s to come.
What Happens in Volition?
The complete story of Volition, from the first scene to the last, in 696 words (about 3 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 1 cast member page.
Spoilers ahead
Jimmy is a reformed ex-criminal living a quiet, low-key life, using a gift of clairvoyance to place small bets on sports. One night, while walking home, he intervenes when two men harass a woman in an alley, choosing to stand up for her even though they beat him and flee. The woman, Angela, is amused by his chivalry and begins to flirt. She leaves him with a hint of mystery, and Jimmy suddenly has a vision of Angela arriving at his apartment with a case of beer, sharing laughs, and teasing him about visiting if she ever wants to.
Soon after, Sal, an old friend recently released from jail, reintroduces Jimmy to Ray, a drug trafficker with a bigger scheme. Ray wants Jimmy to fence millions of dollars in stolen diamonds, promising him a cut that seems too good to pass up. Jimmy hesitates, but in a vision he sees himself agreeing to the deal. Convinced that his fate is sealed and that free will may be an illusion, he agrees to take on the diamonds.
Angela does indeed show up at his apartment with beer, just as Jimmy had foreseen. As they talk, Jimmy opens up about his past: his mother died when he was young, and he’s never been close with his foster dad. Angela, revealing her own estrangements from her family, forms a connection with him in that moment.
Sal and his associate, Terry, plan to double-cross Ray and steal the diamonds for themselves. They break into Jimmy’s apartment, prompting Jimmy and Angela to flee in her car. In a tense exchange, Angela asks what’s happening, and Jimmy reveals his clairvoyance and his fear that the future is already written; he also recalls a vision of his mother’s death in a car accident from childhood. In the midst of the chaos, Jimmy experiences another vision of his foster dad, Elliot, a quantum physicist.
The danger intensifies as Sal, Ray, and Terry break into Elliot’s house. Sal accuses Jimmy of double-crossing them, and Ray threatens him in the shadows. The confrontation erupts into violence; Ray fatally shoots Angela. Caught in the line of fire, Jimmy hides in a closet as Elliot injects him with a syringe, and Jimmy loses consciousness.
He wakes in the same closet, but everything around him looks different: Elliot explains that Jimmy has been injected with a time travel drug, and the year is now 1994. The revelation is that the ability to travel through time and return to the present — enabled by the drug — is what powers Jimmy’s clairvoyance. Determined to break the pattern, Jimmy decides to return to the present, refuse the diamond deal, and try to save Angela.
Taking another dose, he returns to the present day and interrupts Sal and Terry’s robbery, delivering the diamonds to Elliot’s control. He hides in the bushes as a second version of himself arrives, and the original Jimmy witnesses Ray shoot Angela again. An unknown assailant shoots the original Jimmy, and with his last breath he injects himself with another dose of the time travel drug. The strain of time travel fractures his being; he sees himself both as the thug who harassed Angela and as the drunk guy he bumped into earlier that day.
Back in Elliot’s lab, the lifeline of the story loops again: Jimmy travels back in time to appear years before they even meet. Aware that he is dying, he seeks help from Elliot, who begins treating him while noticing a silver liquid leaking from the drug inside Jimmy’s body. Elliot realizes that, in the future, he will have perfected the time travel drug he’s working on now. Jimmy urges Elliot to go to the foster home and adopt James Odin — his younger self.
In another timeline fragment, a version of Jimmy observes a fight at Elliot’s home in the present day, but in that version Angela is only wounded in the shoulder rather than killed. The paradox begins to resolve as Jimmy, now mindful of his power to alter outcomes, rushes to Angela’s side in that timeline and embraces the possibility that his choices can truly change the future for the better.
Volition Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
13 key events in the order they happen, from “Jimmy helps a woman in danger” to “Alternate timeline: Angela survives”. 13 events name a place, across 12 locations.
- 1
Jimmy helps a woman in danger
While walking home, Jimmy intervenes as two men harass a woman in an alley. He uses his clairvoyant abilities to fight them off, though they beat him and flee. The woman, Angela, is flattered by his chivalry and introduces herself.
When:Evening (present day) Where:alley
- 2
Angela visits after a vision
Jimmy has a vision of Angela showing up at his apartment with a case of beer. They talk and she flirts, drawn by his boldness. He even tells her where he lives if she'd ever like to visit.
When:Soon after (present day) Where:Jimmy's apartment
- 3
Sal reconnects; Ray asks to fence diamonds
Sal, an old friend newly released from jail, reintroduces Jimmy to Ray, a drug trafficker. Ray wants Jimmy to fence millions in stolen diamonds for a cut. Jimmy hesitates but has a vision of himself taking the deal, and believes his future is fixed, so he agrees.
When:Present day Where:Sal's place
- 4
Angela visits and shares backstory
Angela shows up at Jimmy's apartment with beer as predicted. They talk, and Jimmy reveals that his mother died when he was young and he is estranged from his foster dad; Angela says she's estranged from her parents as well.
When:Evening Where:Jimmy's apartment
- 5
Double-cross plan and break-in
Sal and Terry plan to double-cross Ray and steal the diamonds for themselves. They break into Jimmy's apartment, forcing Jimmy and Angela to flee in Angela's car. Jimmy explains his clairvoyance and the fear of a predetermined future as the danger escalates.
When:Evening Where:Jimmy's apartment (and street during escape)
- 6
Jimmy has a vision of his death
In the midst of the chaos, Jimmy experiences a frightening vision of his own death. The premonition deepens his sense of doom and drives home the belief that his fate may be sealed.
When:Evening Where:Present day
- 7
Trip to Elliot's house; Angela killed
Jimmy and Angela drive to Elliot's house to seek safety. Sal, Ray, and Terry break in, accuse Jimmy of double-crossing them, and threaten him. A scuffle erupts and Ray fatally shoots Angela.
When:Evening Where:Elliot's house
- 8
Time travel drug revealed; Jimmy in closet
Elliot injects Jimmy with a time travel drug, and Jimmy wakes in a closet to a changed surrounding. The moment marks the start of Jimmy’s new ability to travel through time and attempt to alter the outcome.
When:Immediately after Angela's death (present timeline) Where:Elliot's house closet
- 9
Awakening in 1994; plan to fix the future
Jimmy learns he is in the year 1994 after the drug rewrite. Elliot explains that time travel makes his clairvoyance possible, and Jimmy resolves to return to the present to refuse the diamond deal and save Angela. He takes another dose and returns to the present.
When:1994 Where:Elliot's lab/house
- 10
Two Jimmies; intercepting the heist; Angela shot again
In the present, Jimmy intercepts Sal and Terry's robbery and delivers the diamonds to Elliot's. He hides in the bushes as a second Jimmy arrives and watches Ray shoot Angela again. An unknown assailant shoots the original Jimmy, who injects another dose before fragmenting as the timelines collide.
When:Present day (post-time travel) Where:Outside Elliot's house and surrounding yard
Show the other 3 events of Volition Hide the last 3 events
- 11
Final confrontation at Elliot's house
Back in the present, Jimmy fights Terry in the backyard; Terry's gun goes off, shooting the version of him in the bushes. Jimmy enters the house and is shot by Ray, fulfilling his earlier vision. He tells Ray about the double-cross; Terry kills Ray and flees with Sal.
When:Present day Where:Elliot's house backyard
- 12
Time jump to earlier timeline; discovery of drug's future
Jimmy travels back in time and appears in Elliot's lab years before they meet. Elliot treats him and notices the silver liquid of the time travel drug leaking from his body. Elliot realizes that in Jamie's future he has perfected the time travel drug, and Jimmy urges him to go to the foster home and adopt James Odin—his younger self.
When:Before their first meeting Where:Elliot's lab
- 13
Alternate timeline: Angela survives
A version of Jimmy witnesses the fight at Elliot's home in the present, but in this timeline Angela is shot in the shoulder instead of the chest. He rushes to her, believing he has the power to change the future with his choices.
When:Present day Where:Elliot's house (present timeline)
Who Are the Main Characters in Volition?
7 characters, among them Jimmy, Angela and Sal: 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 abilities who uses visions to make small bets and steer his life. Haunted by a vision of his mother's death, he struggles with the notion that his future is pre-determined. His encounter with Angela and the diamond plot pulls him into a dangerous game of fate and choice.
- 🧠 Psychic
- 🕵️♂️ Ex-criminal
- ⏳ Time travel
- A
Angela
Played by Magda Apanowicz
A woman who flirts with Jimmy and shares a broken family past. She becomes entangled in the diamond plot and is tragically shot, becoming the catalyst that drives Jimmy to confront the consequences of his gifts and the danger around him.
- 💘 Romance
- 🧭 Catalyst
- ⚖️ Morality
- S
Sal
Played by Frank Cassini
An old friend turned drug trafficker who plans to double-cross Ray and steal the diamonds. His scheming sets off a chain of violent events, testing loyalties and forcing confrontations that complicate Jimmy’s attempts to change the future.
- 💼 Crime
- ⚖️ Betrayal
- 🗝️ Double-cross
-
Ray
Played by John Cassini
A ruthless drug trafficker who wants Jimmy to fence millions in stolen diamonds. He fatally shoots Angela in a brutal moment, illustrating the lethal stakes of the criminal world Jimmy is reluctantly drawn into.
- 💊 Crime
- 🗡️ Violence
-
Terry
Played by Aleks Paunovic
Sal's ally who participates in the diamond plot and the double-cross scheme. He infiltrates Jimmy's space, contributes to the escalating violence, and becomes a key player in the climactic betrayals.
- 💼 Crime
- 🗡️ Violence
- 🗝️ Betrayal
- E
Elliot
Played by Bill Marchant
A quantum physicist and Jimmy’s foster father who believes in the power of science to unlock time travel. He treats Jimmy, guides his understanding of the time jumps, and becomes central to Jimmy’s attempt to save Angela across timelines.
- 🧪 Science
- 👨🏫 Mentor
- ⏳ Time travel
- JM
James' Mother
Played by Jenn MacLean-Angus
A memory of Jimmy’s mother, whose death in a car accident when he was young shapes his worldview and his sense of mortality. Her absence fuels the emotional weight of the film and Jimmy’s longing to alter the past.
- 💔 Trauma
- 👩👦 Mother
Where and When Is Volition Set?
Volition is set in Urban city, Jimmy's apartment, alleyway, Elliot's lab and foster home (Present day and 1994). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
Present day and 1994
Most events occur in the present day, but a pivotal twist sends Jimmy back to 1994. The narrative alternates between contemporary life and the past, highlighting how time travel reshapes choices and consequences. This shifting timeline drives the plot as Jimmy attempts to alter fate and protect Angela.
Where
Urban city, Jimmy's apartment, alleyway, Elliot's lab, foster home
The story unfolds in a contemporary urban setting, centering on Jimmy's modest apartment and the alley where he intervenes. Key scenes take place in Elliot's high-tech lab, the source of the time travel discovery. The action also moves through gritty street locations and a foster-home backdrop that frames Jimmy's past and his attempts to change it.
- 🌆 Urban
- 🏢 Apartment life
- 🧪 Science lab
What Are the Themes of Volition?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Time Travel, Fate vs Free Will and Crime & Betrayal.
-
01
Time Travel
Time travel is the central conceit that drives the plot. The time travel drug allows Jimmy to move between present day and 1994, creating a complicated web of cause and effect. Each leap tests the limits of free will and the cost of trying to rewrite what seems inevitable. The mechanism of travel also reveals the fragility of memories and the persistence of past trauma.
-
02
Fate vs Free Will
Jimmy believes his future is predetermined, yet the time jumps invite him to test that belief. His attempts to steer events—especially to save Angela—highlight the tension between destiny and choice. The film questions whether one can truly alter a life path that seems already set. The struggle defines Jimmy's character and fuels the dramatic tension.
-
03
Crime & Betrayal
A web of double-crosses drives the criminal plot around diamonds and trafficking. Sal, Ray, and Terry pursue their own interests, forcing Jimmy to navigate danger and suspicion. The consequences of betrayal ripple across timelines, affecting who lives and who dies. The intertwining crimes test loyalty and push Jimmy toward difficult moral choices.
What Kind of Film Is Volition?
Tense in tone, with fast pacing and a complex story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Tense
- Pacing
- Fast
- Story
- Complex
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Bittersweet
A disorienting and high-stakes thriller that plunges a fatalistic man into a desperate race against his own premonitions, blending sci-fi concepts with the relentless tension of a crime narrative.
- anxious
- fatalistic
- paranoid
- thrilling
- determined
- disorienting
- time travel
- clairvoyance
- fate vs free will
- crime and betrayal
Content notes: gun violence, murder, physical assault, psychological distress.
Quiz
How well do you remember Volition? Test yourself on the story.
