Everyone Has Reversals

Story Lessons, Big and Small (Warning: Spoilers!)

August 01, 2005

Midpoint-o-rama

There are so many ways to think about a movie's midpoint... it might be similar to any other turning point in a story; it might be the moment when the protagonist is closest to achieving their goal, but it's ripped away from them; it might be a moment of death and rebirth/transformation for the protagonist.

Here are a few examples of middle-of-the-movie moments that work. Make of them what you will.

Die Hard 2 - The midpoint is the plane he can't save. McClane runs out onto the snowy tarmac, frantically waving hand flares, but it's no use. It's too late. The plane goes down just beyond him, exploding on impact. This is useful as a midpoint for a few reasons: first, it's thrilling as hell. We've spent time with people on that plane... it's horrific when they go down, yet also spectacular. Second, this midpoint shows very clearly that McClane, the hero of heroes, can fail. It's entirely possible he'll lose this round. Finally, and most importantly, this midpoint infinitely raises the stakes for McClane, and for us-- his own wife is on a plane that's circling around the airport. If this tragedy could happen to one plane, it could happen to hers, too.

It's All Gone Pete Tong - A Canadian/UK co-production, and a hell of a fun movie. The premise is, a top Ibiza club DJ goes deaf. The trailers make it seem as though it takes the entire movie for this to happen, and for Frankie Wilde, the hero, to accept it. In fact, Frankie goes deaf, goes half-mad, loses everything... and then the movie's at mid-point. It's a brilliantly ballsy way to go-- he hits rock bottom, and there's still half the movie left? This is a great example of getting to dramatic moments earlier, rather than holding them off. This film, that could easily have "saved" the climb back out of the grave for a short third act, instead gives us a hopeful second-half-of-Act-Two. It's the struggle for self-reinvention that's going to be long and hard and worth watching, and the movie knows it.

About a Boy - The key concern of the story is, will Hugh Grant let this kid inside the "wall" he's got up around his life? By the midpoint of the story, the kid is pretty much in-- Hugh actually finds himself invested in the kid's life and well-being. Conflict over, it seems? Except that immediately after this happens, Hugh meets the woman of his dreams-- and suddenly, the man he's supposedly become for the sake of the kid in his life is tested romantically. Has Hugh changed enough in the first half of the film to deserve this incredible woman? Essentially, this is a midpoint in which the protagonist's goal appears to change, and for the better... but now the stakes are higher and he's not 100% transformed, so he's still got some failing to do.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Heya,

No real comment on midpoints, but just wanted to send a little encouragement on the new blog! Keep at it! If I had a little more brain space, I'd add something interesting, but that will have to wait a few weeks.

Perhaps something on Primer?

xom

8:57 p.m.  

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