One of the most effective ways to bring storylines or emotions full circle is to use a callback line. It can be a brief reminder to the audience of where the characters started out, and thus how far they’ve come, and, if used well, can add strong emotional resonance to a scene. Most notably used near the beginning and ends of films, they act as emotional bookends to a story that can heighten the situation they are used in.

Callback lines are lines from an early scene in a film that are repeated later on, often in a different context, giving the line a different nuance. Most often they are only repeated once, but can be repeated multiple times (especially in comedies where they can then become a running joke). What I love about these lines is the way they can tie a story together, and can deliver a strong pang of emotion. They can be used in a variety of genres and situations for differing effect.

In some instances, their use may seem cliché or cheesy, or a calculated manipulation of the audience’s emotions (arguably this is what a lot of film is anyway), but, undoubtedly, they still hold some power. For example, in romantic-comedies in the formulaic chase-down to profess their true love, a callback line may be used as a way to gain a character’s attention, and remind them and the audience, of an earlier stage in the characters’ relationship. For example, in the ending of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days [SPOILER], Matthew McConaughey’s character calls “Bullshit” on Kate Hudson’s resolve to leave and her ignorance of her feelings. This line refers back to when the characters were playing the card game ‘bullshit’ (otherwise known as ‘cheats’) in the moment that their relationship first begins to ring more true than the games they are playing with each other for their respective purposes. It is a way to increase the audience’s investment in the situation, and helps to tie the story together. This instance may seem a little cheesy, but it works for what it is.

Another example of a callback line is in Interstellar. Once the characters have launched into space, an agreement comes about between McConaughey (again) and Anne Hathaway’s characters, to keep their honesty levels with each other at 90% (as in line with the honesty settings on their robot companion, TARS). In the film’s climax, [VAGUE SPOILER], when McConaughey’s Cooper is about to do something unbeknownst to Hathaway’s Brand, and she protests her confusion and disagreement, he simply replies with “We agreed, 90 percent”. This seriously heightens the emotion of the moment, and works because it is a reminder of the journey they have been on since that agreement, as well as how their relationship has changed. Initially, Brand was quite standoffish and unwilling to communicate, but, as a result of the film’s events, Cooper’s presence is now much more important to her. It is a subtle reminder of the film’s events which emphasise the stakes of the climactic moments, and help to further engage the audience in what is to come.

Finally, my favourite use of a callback line comes from Kramer vs. Kramer. This differs from the rest in that the repetition of this line is only one word, but it becomes a loaded statement due to the fact that it is a callback. [SPOILERS] When Meryl Streep’s character first leaves, and Dustin Hoffman wakes up to find that she is gone, throughout the morning’s events of making breakfast etc., he repeatedly states “this is just terrific”, “oh that’s terrific”, and variations on the theme. In this context the word does not carry its normal meaning, but instead is used in an angrily sarcastic manner, expressing the character’s frustration, confusion and hopeless feelings. In the final moments of the film, where Streep is going into a lift to go up and see her son, she asks Hoffman how she looks. He replies “Terrific”. Due to the scenes earlier, this word carries much more weight than its standard definition, throwing a whirl of various emotions into the mix, as well as acting as a reminder of how far the characters have come since that morning. It crackles with emotional intensity and is the perfect ending.

Callback lines have a power that other lines do not. Your emotions at the end of a film are the result of all of the events that have preceded it. In reminding you of them, the lines have the ability to dramatically heighten those emotions, or, alternatively, place much greater weight on what otherwise could have been a mere throwaway line. They are effective bookmarks to stories, when done right, and can even elevate the standard of the piece.