I for one appreciate the flashback scenes. They do present an intellectual or cognitive challenge perhaps. But those who find them confusing may be of a genre that retreats from challenges. Such seems to be so characteristic of many people today. The flashbacks add richness to the film. Juxtaposing similar events in the lives of two people separated temporaily by decades is not only informative, but artistic as well. I applaud those flashbacks. The one at the end of GFII is pure genius and a cinematic tour de force.