Save the Cat! Goes to the Indies

by Salva Rubio

  Fun and Games: In the hospital, Tom watches himself transform from an unknown to a celebrity as his feat is presented on various TV networks — his face seems to be all around the country. Tom is cheered on by his friends and returns home, trying to avoid journalists. It may be good news after all, since the next day his diner is full. Unexpectedly, some somber men also show up, and one of them, the one-eyed Fogarty (Ed Harris), refers to Tom as “Joey.” Tom ignores them, but local sheriff Sam tells Tom’s family that they are dangerous mafia men. The next morning, Tom sees the mobsters’ car and thinks they are about to attack his family, so he runs home, only to frighten his son and wife. “What if you are right?” asks Jack about the mobsters’ purpose. “Then we deal with it,” Tom tells him enigmatically. But at a mall, Edie bumps into Fogarty, who raises doubts about Tom: “How come he’s so good at killing people?”

  Midpoint: Jack lives his own false victory when, inspired by his father’s acts, he brutally pounds Bobby, risking a lawsuit. Tom is angered, and upon Jack’s impertinent response, slaps his face, raising the stakes. He could lose his family! Thus begins this public coming out, as he is having difficulty hiding his violent alter ego Joey from his family. A and B Stories cross when Edie comes back from the mall and almost confesses to having her doubts about Tom’s identity.

  Bad Guys Close In: Bad Guys literally Close In when Fogarty and his men show up, having kidnapped Jack and offering him in exchange for Tom going back to Philadelphia with them to see his brother Richie, who seems to hold a grudge against him. The public coming out is complete when in another quick and stunning sequence, Tom/Joey kills two of the men and acknowledges being Joey just before Jack shoots Fogarty. Again at the hospital, Edie confronts Tom about Joey, and he admits his false identity and past transgressions, claiming that Joey is dead. But the shock is too great for Edie; the “team,” the family, is “disintegrating.” Nevertheless, there may still be hope: when the sheriff comes to interrogate Tom the next day at home, Edie defends him to protect the family.

  All Is Lost: When the sheriff leaves, Edie gets angry and slaps Tom, who is about to slap her back, but comes to his senses. They end up having rough sex on the stairs of their home, but afterwards, Edie just leaves him behind. This is “the worst that could happen” to Tom — his wife and son have been contaminated by Joey’s violence, and now he has to deal with it.

  Dark Night of the Soul: The typical symbol of marital problems: Edie stays awake in bed alone while Tom spends the night sleeping on the sofa, both contemplating the “death” of their marriage.

  Break into Three: The phone sounds and the voice of Richie Cu-sack (William Hurt) tells his brother Joey to come to see him... or he will pay a visit to Tom’s family. So in the middle of the night, Tom takes a trip to Philly to settle matters once and for all with Richie and (probably) with his past persona.

  Finale:

  Gathering the Team: Tom arrives in Philadelphia to meet one of Richie’s minions and his transformation occurs in front of our eyes. Did you see how Tom “gathered” Joey in a heartbeat?

  Executing the Plan: Tom’s enters his brother’s upscale home to settle matters. Richie seems friendly at first, happy to see his brother after so many years. But slowly, his anger grows as we discover all the troubles he had to go through to get the respect of other Mafia families after Joey left town. “Tell me what I got to do to make things right,” says Tom/Joey.

  High Tower Surprise: “You could die, Joey,” Richie tells him, revealing that he intended to kill his brother all along. But Tom/Joey defends himself ably as before, taking out bodyguard after bodyguard, until he shoots his own brother — it is as if Joey has taken over the soul of Tom.

  Dig, Deep Down: The next morning, Tom “digs, deep down” by throwing the murder weapon away in the lake and washing himself of the physical and symbolical blood on his body. He is “killing Joey,” but he still must “dig” some more, for his ultimate showdown is about to begin.

  The Execution of the New Plan: Tom goes back home to try and show his family that it is him, and not Joey, who is their loving father. In a wonderful silent scene, they accept him again in the everyday little gestures of a family dinner.

  Final Image: At the beginning we saw a family destroyed by the hateful monsters of gratuitous cruelty. At the end, through love and acceptance, another family has resisted the pull of violence, remaining alive and united.

  THE IMPOSSIBLE (2012)

  Most disaster films that have been produced within Hollywood’s boundaries follow the almighty lore on how to make flicks bigger, louder and stronger. But sometimes “the impossible” happens, and an “Epic Problem” film comes from a country like Spain, which is usually famous for much smaller films that deal with drama or comedy, but almost never with impressive, ambitious set pieces like this one.

  This rendition of the true story of the Belón family during the tragic 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was a successful one, acclaimed for its writing, direction and looks, along with the sensitivity in which the catastrophe itself was portrayed — not from a drown-your-senses-FX-and-action-filled piece, but from the point of view of a simple family.

  This film is also a perfect example of a “Dude with a Problem.” Here, each of the main characters will face the harshest conditions, where it is a miracle to survive as an individual, let alone be reunited as a family.

  A “sudden event” if there ever was one, the tsunami that caught everybody by surprise is also a “test of survival” with an “innocent” family at stake, and they will all rise to the occasion to turn their lives into a “triumph of the spirit.” Much like real-life character and survivor María Belón, the story has inspired thousands of people all over the world.

  DWAP Type: Epic Problem

  DWAP Cousins: Blindness, 127 Hours, No Man’s Land, In Darkness, Time of the Wolf

  THE IMPOSSIBLE

  Story by María Belón

  Written by Sergio G. Sánchez

  Directed by J. A. Bayona

  Opening Image: The story begins inside a plane, where a family is traveling to Khao Lak in Thailand to spend their Christmas holidays. We are introduced to Mom, Maria; Dad, Henry; oldest son Lucas; other sons, Thomas and Simon — and we will see how much they change by the Final Image.

  Theme Stated: “I wonder who he takes after,” says Lucas (Tom Holland), the one who has the most maturing to do. He is laughing about his brother’s and mom’s fear of turbulence. But “taking after” his mom, Maria (Naomi Watts), will soon be no laughing matter, for there will be much for him to learn from her.

  B Story: Our love story features Maria and Henry (Ewan McGregor), a “traditional” couple in the sense that Henry feels it’s his responsibility to provide for his family, and shows signs of stress when the prospect of him doing so seems in question. We will see a subtle change in Henry’s attitude over the course of the story, as he realizes that — as a family — they must all take care of each other.

  Set-Up: During the flight, we see things that need fixing for the main characters. Maria and Henry argue about who exited the house last and whether or not they turned on the alarm. Henry is a little bit too controlling and self-aware of his responsibilities. Maria, on the contrary, seems a little too afraid of danger. Thomas and Simon are a touch too dependent, and Lucas, as mentioned, needs to learn how to care for his brothers instead of teasing them. They all relax when they arrive at the hotel, and they enjoy their first days there. These scenes show us their “innocence” and how unaware they are of the catastrophe that looms in the sea.

  Catalyst: With no warning except for the ominous flight of nearby birds, horror strikes at the beach resort when a massive wave hits, wiping out everything and everybody in sight, including Maria and her family.

  Debate: Can anyone survive such a terrible experience? How many of this family of five could have possibly lived after that shock? Can a family literally scattered by tragedy come together again? We are left in the darkness for a while, and t
hen Maria is shown alive, caught in a tree, watching Lucas dragged by the strong currents. Although she is badly hurt, Maria shows immense courage as she attempts to save him. Blake wrote that sometimes, during the Debate section, a double bump is needed to push the characters into Act Two, and in this story it comes in the form of a second wave that thrashes them around again. Maria and Lucas manage to escape death, but their real challenge of survival is yet to come.

  Break into Two: Able to stand and walk, mother and son wander among tall weeds looking for a way out. When Lucas realizes how badly hurt his mom is, they have to find help for her or she may die.

  Fun and Games: Welcome to the upside-down world that occurs after a catastrophe strikes! Nothing is Fun or a Game here, but you know that this is what Blake called the beat in which the promise of the premise is explored — you came to see this film to experience the tsunami and its aftermath, didn’t you? Maria and Lucas save a lost little child and painfully climb a tree to await help. When help finally arrives, Maria is taken to the hospital, where Lucas sees more evidence of despair and destruction. At last, Maria is attended to. But is she safe? Maria asks Lucas to help other people, and he sets off to help patients search for lost relatives. Lucas is starting to change and care for others.

  Midpoint: When he returns to where he left his mom, he finds that she has been taken away, and is mistakenly told she has died. Now he is alone. This is a false defeat for him. A and B Stories cross when we promptly leave Lucas to find out about Henry. He has managed to save Thomas and Simon, and now, stakes are raised for him, since he must find Maria and Lucas — if they are alive.

  Bad Guys Close In: The impossible odds the family are up against are the Bad Guys in this film, which we see reinforced throughout the movie. In this beat, there is usually a “disintegration of the team,” and if you thought that had already happened, the filmmakers make it worse when Henry must leave Thomas and Simon to look for Maria and Lucas. He witnesses this devastated world where the ugliest characteristics of people emerge, as in a man who will not let Henry use his phone to try to contact family back home. Fortunately, other people are more understanding, and another man — a father like Henry — lends him a phone so that Henry can reassure those back home of his safety. But he is terrified when told they have not heard from Maria.

  All Is Lost: Back at the hospital, Lucas finally finds his mom... but her life is at stake.

  Dark Night of the Soul: Henry learns that Thomas and Simon have been taken somewhere unknown — they’re now lost to him.

  Break into Three: The story gets a ray of hope to push the characters into Act Three when Lucas sees Daniel, the little boy he and Maria saved early on, now reunited with his own family. It’s not impossible.

  Henry arrives at the same hospital as Lucas and Maria — yet they don’t know the other is there. In this chaos, is there any chance they’ll find each other?

  Lucas briefly spots his dad and races after, only to lose him in the crowd. Nearby, little Simon gets out of the truck which is transporting lost kids, followed by Thomas. They hear Lucas calling his dad and the boys reunite. Henry, acting on a hunch, finds them too. A and B Stories cross again as the reunited family heads back to the hospital to find Maria.

  Finale:

  Gathering the Team: The family / team is finally “gathered” at the hospital with Maria, but there is still one battle to fight: Maria must survive surgery. In her weakened condition, this doesn’t seem likely.

  Executing the Plan: Maria summons all of her strength and will to live as she’s taken into surgery.

  High Tower Surprise: “Think of something nice,” says the doctor when they are about to anesthetize Maria. But she is haunted by very disturbing memories — as she is operated on, she recalls what happened to her during the tsunami, something that we had not seen until now.

  Dig, Deep Down: During her hallucination, Maria is about to drown with countless other people, and her apparently dead body heads toward the light. Is she dying? No, she is “digging deep down” until we see her gloriously emerging from the water to life.

  The Execution of the New Plan: Once Maria is out of surgery, the family is able to begin their journey back home, to return to their pre-tsunami lives.

  Final Image: Again on a plane, it is clear that the family has transformed. The kids have indeed “taken after” their mom. Showing unbridled courage, the family has come together to survive. Their ordeal has been a “triumph of the spirit.”

  DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (2013)

  Among the many problems that a “dude” can face, there are those stories of survival against the odds of nature. We may think about wild, savage beasts and trouble in the great outdoors as “nature,” but disease is perfectly natural, too, and can drown us in a literal world of hurt.

  According to Blake, these kinds of “Nature Problems” are about “how alone we can feel when facing disease” and for sure, the AIDS epidemic during the ’80 s made thousands of people feel terribly detached, facing an incurable disease that condemned them to social exile and, for most, death.

  It took someone as brave as a rodeo cowboy to confront the problem and find a solution. That man was Ron Woodroof, an AIDS patient who ignored FDA regulations and smuggled unap-proved drugs that granted dignity of life longer than anyone could have expected.

  This inspiring movie presents a protagonist with a “sudden event” (getting the disease) and a “test of survival,” and indeed features what Blake defined as a “triumph of the spirit,” with Woodroof becoming a stirring example of fighting for life, whatever it takes.

  I should note that an argument can be made the film fits Blake’s “Institutionalized” genre — but I’ve chosen to place it here, where I think it’s a “natural” fit.

  DWAP Type: Nature Problem

  DWAP Cousins: The Sea Inside (Mar Adentro), 50/50, Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

  DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

  Written by Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack

  Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée

  Opening Image: The film aptly begins with a rollicking rodeo, a place of bravery and quick-thinking — where many risks await. In the shadows, Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey, Academy Award ® Best Actor) has intercourse with two women, an act which does not seem out of the ordinary for him. Will this still be Ron’s world by the end of the story?

  Set-Up: We are introduced to Ron’s world and the many things that need fixing in his life. “At play,” he has unprotected sex, drinks too much, takes drugs, is homophobic and values money over friendship (even stealing from his pals). In a nutshell, he is living a life in a seemingly permanent Stasis=Death moment — we know that he cannot go on like this forever. However “bad” his behavior is, he demonstrates his heart in a “Save the Cat!” moment “at work” where he yells for his boss to call an ambulance for an illegal immigrant whose leg is caught in a machine. At home, Ron is so weak, he faints with no one around to help.

  Theme Stated: After Ron says, “Gotta die somehow,” his cop friend Tucker (Steve Zahn) answers him in pure Texan fashion: “Handle your business, huh? Get your s*** together.” And that is what Ron will have to learn how to do: to care about himself... and, literally, to take care of his business.

  Catalyst: After an accident at work, Ron wakes up in a hospital and is told that he has tested positive for HIV, a diagnosis he rejects. Then he gets even worse news: based on his current poor health, he only has 30 days to live. Now, that’s a “problem”!

  Debate: Ron not surprisingly refuses to believe what the docs told him, as he thinks (as many people thought wrongly at the time) that only homosexuals got the virus. So he keeps drinking, snorting and having unprotected sex, though he knows his health is deteriorating. We learn that the hospital will hold a trial for a new controversial drug called AZT, one that might harm more than heal. Dr. Eve Saks (Jennifer Garner) is skeptical about the drug. Meanwhile, Ron researches about AIDS and finds out how he got it,
by having sex with a woman who used drugs intravenously. It all adds up to our Debate question: How can you fight a seemingly incurable disease?

  Break into Two: Ending his self-doubts, Ron visits Dr. Saks, asking to become a participant in the AZT trial. He learns that the drug might not work, and he may even be given a placebo. “I am dying,” he says, showing that he finally has accepted his condition and is getting ready to attack it. But how will he choose to fight?

  B Story: The “love” story is between Ron and Dr. Saks. They couldn’t be more different in their behavior, demeanor and frequency of use of the F-word, but both of them will come to respect each other, and a sexual tension is always present between them.

  Fun and Games: The promise of the premise centers on what it was like to be an AIDS patient in 1980 s Texas. Ron is rejected by all his ignorant friends at play and at work, being labelled a “homo.” His visit to a support group doesn’t go well. Then, he decides to get AZT by his own means and starts treating himself, but his condition only worsens. At the hospital, he meets Rayon (Jared Leto, Academy Award ® Best Supporting Actor), a transgendered person with whom he strikes an unlikely acquaintance. At a point where Ron wants to kill himself, he gets an eye of the storm moment when he goes to Mexico and meets exiled license-less Dr. Sevard, who is looking for alternative treatments that may not cure AIDS, but can give patients more time to live. Ron has an idea: to smuggle the drugs to Texas and sell them.

  Midpoint: Luckily, Rayon wants to buy meds for her and her friends, and soon she offers to be Ron’s business partner. They decide to avoid legal problems by not actually selling the drugs from Mexico, but instead creating a club for others to get them “for free” while paying monthly membership dues. The Dallas Buyers Club is born! It also means a public coming out for them, and especially for Ron, who starts to feel at ease in gay bars and even defends Rayon against one of his homophobic ex-friends. The duo enjoys a false victory because their sales are steady — even their health is improving. Stakes are raised since, as their business grows, they’re able to help more people, but that also means there’s a greater chance of their scheme being exposed.