Jacob’s Ladder (1990, Adrian Lyne) – a haunting exploration of reality and death – opens with a brutal ambush of American soldiers in Vietnam. Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) is among them, but his fate in the attack is left unresolved.

Years later, Jacob is back in New York City, living with his girlfriend Jezzie (Elizabeth Peña). We learn he is divorced, has two children, and is still grieving the death of his third child, Gabe (an uncredited role by Macaulay Culkin).

It soon becomes obvious that something is wrong with Jacob’s reality. He is haunted by ghost-like entities, sees a tentacle protruding from a sleeping homeless person, and at the Veterans Office there is no military record of his service in Vietnam. Then, inexplicably, he is suddenly back with his ex-wife and children as if no time has passed.

At a friend’s party, a psychic delivers a chilling revelation: Jacob is already dead. Could this be the key to understanding his torment? The film’s script, penned by Bruce Joel Rubin (known for Ghost, 1990), delves into the mysteries of existence beyond our own.

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