At some point in the recent past, I caught wind that the science fiction author Robert Heinlein had written a short story called “All You Zombies.” The story, I was told, featured one of the greatest plot twists ever devised. Intrigued, I read it, and generally agree with that assessment.

More recently, I sat down to view the science-fiction film “Predestination” starring Ethan Hawke. I was about 10 minutes in when I found myself thinking, “Great giant gumballs, this is a lot like that Robert Heinlein short story!” And indeed, “Predestination” is an attempt to bring “All You Zombies” to the big screen.

The filmmakers do a great job. In fact, I’d say Heinlein’s mind busting concept is even more digestible in the movie format.

It’s close to impossible to talk about the story without giving away key plot details, so I’ll do what I can to dance around the surface.

A lot of science-fiction deals with the contradictions of time travel. If I went into the past and killed my parents, then I could never be born, and so I could never go into the past and kill my parents, etc. This is the territory “Predestination” operates in. And now add to that the ahead-of-its-time aspect of gender bending—it’s not a big reveal that a female character becomes a man.

The acting is excellent. Hawke always does good work, and the female lead is played by Sarah Snook who shined in the TV series “Succession.”

The special effects and set dressing all carry the story along nicely.

That’s about all I can say other than, “see it.”