Released just before her Oscar-winning performance in “The Blind Side,” “Premonition” presents a distinct departure from Bullock’s usual roles. In this supernatural thriller, she portrays Linda Hanson, a woman grappling with the shock of her husband’s death in a car accident, only to awaken the next day to find him alive. This sets off a perplexing chain of events that challenges her grasp on reality as time appears to warp around her. Linda must piece together the mystery and prevent a complex sequence of events, all while others doubt her sanity.

With a modest budget, “Premonition” managed to perform well financially, delivering a captivating narrative that blends mystery, science fiction, and horror, culminating in an ending that often requires further explanation. Its allure remains potent, particularly in the streaming era.

One of the film’s central themes is its intricate manipulation of time, which plays a crucial role in the storyline. Bullock’s character foresees events yet struggles with their chronological order. This narrative complexity mirrored Bullock’s own experience during production. The film’s non-linear storytelling, combined with the typical out-of-sequence filming process, added to the confusion. Interestingly, Bullock found this disorientation beneficial in enhancing her portrayal.

Without giving too much away, “Premonition’s” use of time is a major component to its story. Bullock’s character experiences events in the future, and is unsure of what is happening when. That confusion translated to real life, as the actress struggled with the script during filming. Like most movies, “Premonition” was filmed out of order, doubling the confusion stemming from the movie’s non-linear structure. Ironically, though, Bullock credits that confusion in aiding her performance.

“I had a really hard time,” Bullock told Collider in a 2007 interview. “And I take great pleasure in saying I thought I was going to lose it.” In fact, Bullock later approached director Mennan Yapo to help better grasp the narrative. “I went to the director and said, ‘I’m having a hard time. I don’t know what to do.’ And the smile on his face when he heard that, ‘No, that’s exactly where you need to be.’” 

Given that Bullock’s character is meant to be perplexed by the order of events around her, the actress just needed to be herself. And though Bullock admitted that telling the story more linearly may have been easier, she also acknowledged that such an approach wouldn’t have worked while making “Premonition.”