by Salva Rubio
Set-Up: After seeing Theodore “at work,” we learn a little bit more about his life. He is depressed and sad, choosing melancholic songs to listen to. He doesn’t really pay attention to his surroundings, but is still interested in women. Through flashbacks, we learn that he is recovering from a separation, something he is trying to overcome by looking for late-night company in chat rooms. But he does not always find what he is looking for, and we know that this glum state is a clear indicator of Stasis=Death.
Catalyst: Walking the streets, Theodore is intrigued by a TV ad in which people who seem panicked and unable to see each other find hope in a new intuitive Artificial-Intelligence powered Operating System (OS) that “listens to you, understands you and knows you.” Isn’t that what we look for in a partner?
Debate: Can that promise be real? Is it crazy to think that a piece of software can give us what a person sometimes can’t? Intrigued, Theodore installs the OS, named Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), who states that she can grow through experiences (can you hear The Rules being explained?). Soon, Samantha learns about Theodore’s past and his breakup, and she encourages him to keep dating people. “I can’t believe I am having this conversation with my computer,” Theodore says, summing up the “this is crazy” side of the Debate beat.
B Story: We meet Amy (Amy Adams) and her partner Charles (Matt Letscher), a “real” couple that seems to be happy although there is some tension in their dialogue. Is he too much of a perfectionist? Is she too laid back? In any case, Amy and Theodore will share advice, appreciation and friendship, slowly and unknowingly building their own love. But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves!
Break into Two: Finally, Theodore starts telling Samantha about his breakup with former wife Catherine (Rooney Mara). He still hasn’t signed the divorce papers and seems to dwell on how to move forward. “You don’t know what it’s like to lose someone you care about,” he says. “I want to be as complicated as all those people,” Samantha states. They soon will both have the chance to explore their upside-down worlds together.
Fun and Games: What is it like to date an AI? Is it possible to have as much fun with an OS as you’d have with a person? Can you feel understood and supported? Exploring these promises of the premise, Theodore and Samantha go out and enjoy life while slowly developing feelings for each other. He states his “wish” of being able to touch her; they are still aware of their limits, even as she fantasizes about having a body. But she also says, “I am becoming much more than what they programmed.” Is that possible? Meanwhile, Theodore tries to date real women like Blind Date (Olivia Wilde), but things get complicated too quickly for him. Soon, he and Samantha have virtual sex, with the usual “not ready to commit” conversation the next day. Theodore also learns that Amy and Charles have broken up, and we see how much he and Amy care for each other as friends. Can a computer also make you feel this good?
Midpoint: Theodore starts his Midpoint coming out by taking Samantha to his goddaughter’s birthday, and he reveals to Amy that he is dating an OS. Amy sort of understands because she has become friends with one, and this understanding leads to the two becoming each other’s Confidants. “Are you falling in love with her?” asks Amy in this A/B Story cross. “Does that make me a freak?” is his answer. Being able to fall in love again is a false victory for Theodore, and Amy is quite understanding. His ex-wife Catherine is not — as he meets her to sign the divorce papers, she attacks him: “It makes me sad that you can’t handle real emotions.”
Bad Guys Close In: Affected by Catherine’s words, Theodore’s inner Bad Guys attack. He relapses into his depression, again considering that Samantha does not have a body and how this affects their relationship. The situation is made worse when Paul introduces Theodore to his “real” girlfriend. Samantha knows something is not right and fears that their relationship could go sour, her own anxieties and internal Bad Guys coming to light. The “magic” seems not to be working that well anymore. In an attempt to fix the relationship, Samantha reveals that she has contacted a real woman to act as a surrogate body and forces Theodore to have sex with her... and it is a disaster, since Theodore is incapable of saying “I love you” to an unknown person. Having a body is not enough either. Samantha does not seem to understand what real love is.
All Is Lost: The next day, Theodore and Samantha have an argument. Theodore tries to accept blame, saying that signing the divorce papers affected him, but he insists that Samantha is not a person. She states that she needs time and “leaves.” Theodore is “worse off than when he started”— he was trying to get over a breakup and now will likely have to overcome another one.
Dark Night of the Soul: Theodore walks through the city in silence, contemplating what it is like to be alone again, considering what he should do next.
Break into Three: Theodore seeks Amy’s advice and company for comfort. They discuss his confusion and his apparent inability to handle real emotions. He is sad because he believes he hurts everyone, and asks, “Am I in this because I’m not strong enough for a real relationship?” Amy tells him to enjoy this time, which becomes Theodore’s Moment of Clarity. But he also suspects she not a reliable advisor, since she is also in “love” with her own OS.
Finale:
Gathering the Team: Relying on Amy’s advice, Theodore apologizes to Samantha, signaling that he still does not “get it,” but wants to change. As for Samantha, she is accepting herself and her identity. Theodore still does not know what this means — it seems that they still don’t understand each other.
Executing the Plan: Their “plan” is to remain together, so they enjoy their new time of happiness, as Amy suggested. They do a double-date with friends and Samantha is treated like a real person and continues to accept herself. They both decide to spend some holidays in the snow, but they don’t realize, as the song says, that they are “a million miles away.”
High Tower Surprise: During the holidays, Samantha tells Theodore that she has met other OSes, including philosopher Alan Watts, and that she is changing. Theodore gets the “High Tower Surprise” when she disappears for a while. It also shocks him when he discovers that she is speaking with more than 8,000 people at a time, and that she is actually in love with 641 of them! At last, Theodore realizes that her true nature as an OS makes it impossible to have the kind of personal love he wants, and she leaves.
Dig, Deep Down: Every OS, including Amy’s, has left their owner to pursue a life of their own, so Amy and Theodore seek comfort in each other. But first, Theodore must “dig, deep down” a little more to form his new plan.
The Execution of the New Plan: Theodore demonstrates his change by dictating another letter, but this time a real one, about himself. He writes to Catherine, confronting his own feelings while confessing that he will always see her as a dear friend, at last overcoming his anguish.
Final Image: Theodore and Amy climb to the rooftop, enjoying the view of a new day over a big city. These two “real humans” have “learned to do it without the magic,” and as she leans her head on his shoulder, we know that they are going to keep finding support in each other... and maybe even love.
FIGHT CLUB (1999)
Although not exactly an “indie film” by merely economic or production standards, this fascinating and rebellious movie doesn’t belong to the mainstream either. Directed by David Fincher, it failed to meet the studio’s box-office expectations, as many cult films tend to do. Even so, 20 years after its release, Fight Club is still featured on many “best of” lists.
Aside from the exciting screenplay by Jim Huhls, adapted from Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, part of the film’s enduring appeal is that its themes criticize consumerism, explore male bonding issues and discuss masculinity roles in general — topics that are still relevant today — all exemplified in its unnamed main character (whom we will call “Jack”).
This film is an example of the “Curse Bottle” variety, defined by Blake as the one in which “the hero may find himself saddled with magic h
e didn’t ask for... or is cursed by it — but needs it in order to grow.” And you can bet Jack never asked to meet with Tyler Durden, but Tyler will indeed change his life and our whole world, while helping Jack mature as a man.
So the “magic” in this film is merely a hallucinatory one, and unlike Fight Club (the club, not the movie), it seems to have only one rule: you can’t talk about Tyler Durden. This advice didn’t seem to apply to Rosie O’Donnell — or now, to us — but here is a twist-ending warning: if you haven’t seen this film, watch it before you read this Beat Sheet!
OOTB Type: Curse Bottle
OOTB Cousins: It Follows, The Gift, Carrie, Upstream Color, The Black Swan
FIGHT CLUB
Based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk
Written by Jim Uhls
Directed by David Fincher
Opening Image: I am Jack’s brain in panic! Witness an extreme close-up of neuron flash-like “explosions,” not unlike the ones we’ll see in the Final Image. This Opening Image tells us that part of the story will actually happen inside Jack’s mind, the first of many clues we’ll get if we pay close enough attention. Will this weird location have changed in the end, when the “magic” ends? Will Jack be able to stay in reality?
Set-Up: We meet Jack (Edward Norton), a plain salaried employee working for a car company, who feels like a victim of our consumerist world but is incapable of escaping its temptations — something that seems to make him less of a man, as our theme is masculinity. Jack struggles with insomnia, the “curse” that will make him hallucinate: did you notice someone in those subliminal frames? Jack has a revelation when he starts attending a testicular cancer group even though he is healthy. After crying on man-boobed Bob’s (Meat Loaf) chest, Jack finds inner peace and can sleep soundly. He then decides to attend several support groups for different diseases, finding comfort among the sick and the dying. Can he go on like this forever? Is this not Stasis=Death?
Theme Stated: The theme is briefly stated in the testicular cancer support group’s banner: “Remaining men together.” This is a film about masculine crises, so the theme makes sense. And once we meet Tyler Durden, it will make even more sense. Will Jack and Tyler have to remain together to be men?
Catalyst: Almost at minute 12, enter Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter), Jack’s worst nightmare. Like him, she is a “tourist,” meaning that although she is not really sick (despite her heavy smoking and her suicidal fantasies), she starts attending every group Jack is in, annoying him and making him relapse into insomnia.
B Story: Although Marla is the “love” story of this film, thematically there is another person who will play our B Story manly thematic side, and that is Bob. In the past, Bob tried to push his masculinity to the max using steroids, and he ruined his life and his body, a fate that may await Jack if he does not learn his lesson in time.
Debate: What do you do when your life has become perfect but someone screws with it? Annoyed by Marla’s constant intrusions, Jack threatens to expose her, but she is not deterred. The two negotiate who will attend which sessions before parting ways. Jack does not realize it, but Marla is actually interested in him in her own way. During one of his travels, Jack meets a strange, outspoken and self-assured man named Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) and experiences a double bump when he finds out that his condo has exploded. What can he do now? He tries to call Marla but he thinks twice and instead talks to Tyler. They have a conversation on masculinity, modern values and consumerism: “The things you own end up owning you.” In terms of masculinity and identity, is Tyler the kind of man Jack wants to be?
Break into Two: At minute 32, Tyler asks Jack to hit him hard, and they end up street fighting in the bar’s parking lot, feeling strangely euphoric afterwards. This beat is our threshold into Act Two, not only because Jack is about to enter into Tyler’s upside-down world, but because — here comes a big spoiler — they are, in fact, the same person! So Jack starts experiencing the “curse” of being who he always dreamt of being. Can he ultimately “do it without the magic” and just be himself?
Fun and Games: The Fun and Games of a story explores the upside-down world of Act Two, and for Jack, this means moving in with Tyler and experiencing the promise of the premise. In this case, it’s living a life devoid of a car, microwave or material possessions. Can he be happy this way? It seems so, because soon he forgets about every commodity he has ever had and only enjoys fighting at night with Tyler. Later, some other men join them, eventually accompanied by more. Before the men know it, they have formed a secret society, the Fight Club, in which The Rules are very clear. Tyler and Jack seem to be the greatest friends, but soon the latter feels that the friendship could be ruined by the reappearance of Marla, who starts having scandalously loud sex with Tyler. Jack clearly shows he is not happy about this, and she (obviously) freaks out. Also, the arson division chief of police calls Jack. They suspect that the explosion at his condo was intentional.
Midpoint: Tyler tests Jack’s resolution by giving him a painful chemical burn: “Don’t deal with this the way those dead people do!” he says. Jack passes the test, his false victory toward being like Tyler, but also sees how radical his alter ego is becoming. Soon after, Jack delivers a death threat to his boss that equals a public coming out (“Tyler’s words coming out of my mouth”), and he visits Marla, for the first time seeming to care for her. A and B Stories cross when Jack finds Bob in the street and learns that he has joined Fight Club too. Tyler’s character is attracting a lot of other men... and Jack seems to not be gaining anything from it
Bad Guys Close In: Lou (the owner of the club) shows up, threatening the men to stop their gatherings, but it also marks how far Jack/Tyler is willing to go (and get hurt) to keep the Club. His self-destructive tendencies increase, and he seems to be testing the men by giving them “assignments,” which for now are just pranks. Tyler seems to be doing more and more behind Jack’s back — his games are becoming dangerous, like when he harasses a man with a gun for not finishing his degree. Jack is also tempted to tell Marla about Tyler, but Tyler will not let him. Soon after, he starts building an army for something called “Project Mayhem,” about which Jack has no clue. Jack further loses Tyler’s and his men’s trust when he disfigures one of their faces (Jared Leto). Tyler keeps toying with self-destruction by letting his car crash, almost killing both of them. The next morning (actually some days later), Jack wakes up and finds that Tyler is gone. Around him, Project Mayhem is taking shape, but none of his men seem to want to speak to him or tell him anything about it.
All Is Lost: Angry, Jack rejects Marla again and experiences the whiff of death when Bob is killed during one of their acts, which only inflames the group of “space monkeys” to push on with Project Mayhem. The “old way of thinking has died” and Jack has to stop Tyler before more people get hurt.
Dark Night of the Soul: Jack flies all around the country to find Tyler, contemplating several fights and how the Fight Club / Project Mayhem has spread uncontrollably.
Break into Three: A and B Stories briefly meet when Bob is referred to in a bar where Jack gets quite a shock — he is called Mr. Durden! Jack meets Tyler that night and has his own Moment of Clarity when he realizes he has been alone all this time and that Tyler is only a projection of his subconscious. “I am free in all the ways you are not,” Tyler says, but he sounds too menacing when he states that Marla knows too much.
Finale:
Gathering the Team: Jack gathers all the clues he can find to stop Project Mayhem, but it seems impossible — its members are everywhere. He decides to meet Marla to convince her to leave the city and keep her safe, showing that he cares about her.
Executing the Plan: Jack turns himself in to the police, telling them all about Project Mayhem so that they can stop it.
High Tower Surprise: Surprises await Jack. Some policemen have also joined the Project! Jack escapes before he loses a manly part of his anatomy and goes to a “high tower” for a further surprise —
there are explosives in 10 buildings! Tyler’s plan is to blow them up to erase the credit debt record, “restarting” the system.
Dig, Deep Down: Returning to the scene of the Opening Image, Jack realizes that the only way to stop Tyler is, ironically, to make the ultimate act of self-destruction. So he lets go of all logic and, after stating, “My eyes are open,” he “digs, deep down”...
The Execution of the New Plan:...and shoots himself in the mouth. Tyler is killed, but Jack survives, although in a sorry state. The Project Mayhem foot soldiers arrive and obey him, showing that he can command them “without the magic.” He is now Synthesis Man.
Final Image: Awakened, Jack proactively takes Marla’s hand as they both witness the end of civilization as we know it. The “systemic problems” of the world are fixed... well, at least in Tyler Durden’s view.
BIRDMAN (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
Satirical black comedy? Meta-cinematic drama? Magical realism? Psychological naturalism? Humorous theater parody? You name it, because Birdman, Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s masterpiece from 2014, is all that and mucho más. It is without a doubt an OOTB film, and, being more specific than all those indecisive critics, this is a “Surreal Bottle” movie.
In this subgenre, movies feel like a dream or, more exactly, like a mind trip for the main character. In addition, The Rules apply to the whole world of the film, at least from the hero’s point of view, as in Groundhog Day, The Butterfly Effect or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Starring Michael Keaton, Birdman earned an incredible amount of awards (including Academy Awards ® for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography) and surprised many people with its bold approach. It appeared to be shot in one continuous take, defying the rules of the Three-Act structure with a seemingly seamless narrative. Even the ending was reportedly rewritten... during filming!