Narrative web where multiple story threads run simultaneously without hierarchy — Tarantino, PTA, Haneke use it. Viewer assembles meaning through fragments.
Multiple story threads run in parallel without one clearly taking precedence — the viewer must establish the connections themselves. This is not editing in the classical sense, but a narrative structure where the sequence of cuts and rhythm shape understanding. On set, you often don't notice this during shooting; it reveals itself in the edit when the director deliberately places scenes from different time periods or plotlines immediately next to each other.
In a classic linear film, A leads to B to C — clear, hierarchical. Hypertext narration works differently: A runs parallel to B, cuts to C, jumps back to a variation of A. Tarantino's Pulp Fiction is the prime example — not because the story jumps, but because the sequence of cuts itself creates meaning. Scenes that are temporally distant are connected by their proximity in the film. This creates associations that the viewer must actively process. Paul Thomas Anderson in Magnolia or Michael Haneke in Code Unknown use this structure even more consistently: they completely dismantle causality and force the viewer to think along.
Practically, this means: the dramaturgy lies not in the story, but in the editing. You might shoot linearly, but the edit assembles associations. A gesture from scene 40 is cut next to a similar gesture from scene 8 — suddenly the viewer sees a connection that doesn't exist in the mere plot. This is not irritation, but a conscious strategy. The viewer is not passively entertained; they are constantly reconstructing meaning.
The difference to classic non-linearity (flashbacks, fragmented narrative) lies in the fact that hypertext narration has equal plot threads. No main story with subplots. Instead, a network in which every thread exists simultaneously. This demands concentration from the viewer — and ruthless clarity in the editing sequence from the editor. Every cut must function, both as narrative information and as a visual-rhythmic statement. Haneke, for example, uses static camera positions and long takes so as not to confuse this simultaneity — the structure carries the complexity, not the kinesis.