by Salva Rubio
Bad Guys Close In: The Club attracts the attention of the authorities, especially the FDA, who start Closing In, discovering the truth of their operation when Ron suffers a heart attack, caused by his misuse of interferon. At the same time, Dr. Saks realizes that AZT is actually making her patients worse while Ron’s are improving, but she is pressured by her boss to keep the experiment going. Meanwhile, Ron is worried about Rayon, since her state is deteriorating fast. Soon after, more “external” Bad Guys show up — the IRS, the FDA and the DEA confiscate all of Ron’s drugs, probably tipped off by Dr. Saks’s boss. At least this gives Ron the chance to have another eye of the storm moment with her, showing how close they are becoming, even though their love is impossible. Unbeknownst to Ron, and preparing for her own death, Rayon visits her estranged father and gets life insurance money from him, guaranteeing that the Dallas Buyers Club will be able to stay open a little longer. Later, Ron hugs Rayon for the first time, demonstrating his growth and how much their friendship has come to mean to him.
All Is Lost: At minute 80, Rayon coughs up blood and is taken to the hospital. She is attended by Dr. Saks but to no avail — when Ron arrives, the whiff of death is in the air. Rayon is already dead, and when Ron finds out, he assaults Dr. Saks’s boss.
Dark Night of the Soul: Depressed, Ron “pays Death a visit” when he indulges himself in alcohol and a prostitute, but is too sad and weak to go on, crying alone for his friend’s death. The “old ways” do not work for him anymore.
Break into Three: The next day, Ron shows up at the office and is told that they are really low on cash. He decides to hook up some newcomers even if they cannot pay. Our Theme Stated of “handling his business” has taken an entirely new meaning — he is now valuing people over money. A and B Stories cross when Dr. Saks comes to see him, and he finally convinces her about AZT’s dangers, prompting her, at last, to rebel against the trial.
Finale:
Gathering the Team: For Ron, this involves “making plans for the attack” on the FDA. When he is unable to procure more of the effective but illegal meds, he instructs his counselor to file a lawsuit against the Administration, and he prints leaflets to give the people the proper information about safe meds.
Executing the Plan: While the filing of a lawsuit is boring to watch, the filmmakers allow us to see Ron confronting a big pharma rep and the FDA guy during a public meeting, and Ron manages to give the crowd the necessary information.
High Tower Surprise: Dr. Saks is fired and she shares an intimate moment with Ron, drinking from the same bottle and showing how close they are. A classic B Story Character, she’s helped Ron change… and he’s helped her too. Ron talks about his dream of having a normal life: “ice-cold beer, bull ride again, take my woman dancing.” In court, the judge is compassionate toward Ron and admonishes the FDA, but lacks the legal tools to do anything.
Dig, Deep Down: Ron feels lost, but his friends and customers cheer for him and for all that he has done for them. He is about to lose his mind, but Tucker helps him, showing that he has and will have to keep “digging, deep down” throughout the rest of his life.
The Execution of the New Plan: Sick and still facing a looming death, Ron sticks to his new plan of having a normal life, as he is shown bull riding again, mirroring the Opening Image. His victory is a moral one and a “triumph of the spirit,” as DWAP stories require.
Final Image: After showing him bravely riding the bull (a symbolic representation of the disease), the closing credits tell us that the man who was given a month to live survived for seven more years. His determination and courage have helped so many others, even until today.
5RITES OF PASSAGE
If there is one genre that has more presence in auteur cinema, independent films and European dramas than it does in mainstream flicks, it is what Blake called “Rites of Passage.” Perhaps this is because there are smaller set pieces, barely any explosions and virtually no car chases. Instead, you will find that the majority of the stories are character-driven, as deep as one can get. Simply put, these films are about people and their life struggles.
And are they primal! Most of the “rites” are in fact normal, unavoidable stages in life. We sure don’t want to experience them! But we must, and we watch these movies to learn, for they can teach us how to overcome them.
The first subgenre is the Mid-life Passage, that dreaded phase in which we aren’t so young anymore — though we’re not at the age of retirement — and everything around us tells us we are closer to the latter. This is the time when we usually take into account what we have achieved in life (job, family, love, riches) and start to feel nervous if all the boxes are not conveniently checked. For both men and women, this may include embracing a new lifestyle to try and rejuvenate us (ask any Ferrari dealer), but most often, life doesn’t work that way. If you want to know what we mean, watch films as different as Visconti’s The Leopard, Fellini’s 8½ or Save the Tiger (no, that’s not the premium version of this book!).
We might also have to confront the Separation Passage, those times in life in which, voluntarily or not, we split up with someone and try to move on — easier said than done! Films like High Fidelity, Blue Valentine, Three Colors: White or Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage demonstrate this.
Our next threshold (if you want to go all-Campbell) is the Death Passage, which seemingly speaks for itself, although it has many permutations: the impending death of a loved one, the bereavement process, the re-adjusting to everyday life or any of the five stages that Dr. Kubler-Ross wrote about. This subgenre is evident in films such as Amour, Three Colors: Blue, The Descendants and a very long et cetera.
We should also refer to another aisle we all hope to never travel down, the Addiction Passage. As its name properly suggests, addictions come in all shapes and sizes, and getting out of them not only implies a 10 -Step program, but lots of courage, support and willpower — something our characters might not have early on in their adventure. Such is the case with films like Trainspotting, Requiem for a Dream or Drugstore Cowboy.
Last, we have the Adolescent Passage, which everyone has gone through (personally, though, I’m still not sure I’m finished with it). This subgenre pertains to all the changes that we will suffer (and sometimes enjoy), including family confrontations, discovery of love, sex initiations, search for personal freedom and finding our own identity, as occurs in The 400 Blows, Persepolis, Fish Tank or The Virgin Suicides.
What do we need to tell these stories? As always, we have three fundamental components.
First, we need a life problem for the character to experience. Of course, defining your story by the subgenre can help you understand what kind of problem to throw at your hero. However, you could think of others, like losing your job or reaching your retirement — just mix them with any of the aforementioned issues, and you should be good to go! Think about how something like unexpectedly getting pregnant or becoming a dad could be a “problem” — if it was too early (Adolescent), too late (Mid-life) or in the middle of a breakup (Separation), each variation will bring its own set of unique circumstances. Leaving your home and going through adolescence mix well (The 400 Blows), as does losing your family and restarting your career (Blue) or having a midlife crisis while preparing for an impending breakup (Lost in Translation). And in this last case, you could cleverly set up a sequel! Great idea! I can write that! Did you hear me, Sofia?... uh, Sofia?
Next, you need what Blake called a wrong way: our characters, as most of us do, will confront these problems in such a manner that will only worsen things and will make the characters feel more and more stuck, unable to solve them. They are in the “time-out chair of life” and will not be allowed out of it until they face their situation. We know each of these “life problems” invariably brings change, which we resist, and our characters will try their hardest to avoid dealing with them and the pain involved, too. Take, for instance, Last Tango in Paris, where Marlon Brando throws himself into a rejuvenatin
g love story after the death of his wife, or 8½, where a film director tries to make a movie while in a mid-life crisis (not the greatest idea). Or you could be helpless to do anything about it (Amour), so you can only watch your loved one suffer while trying to think of a way to ease the pain, even if it involves, well, ending her life.
After trying all possible solutions to your problem and only making things worse, you and your characters will realize that there is only one way forward: acceptance. As Blake told us, “Only the counterintuitive move of embracing pain will help.” In the beginning, our characters may realize that the world has changed, but instead of going along with it, they refuse to acknowledge the situation. By the end, the hero must surrender to pain and honestly embrace change, accept the situation and go forward, even if it implies welcoming loss at last. Sometimes, like in The Leopard, we learn that something has to change for things to go on being the same. In others, as in Blue, we know we have a full life ahead of us. The hero will “embrace his new self” and become another person in the process since, as we must constantly remember, all stories are about transformation.
You may not know how superheroes feel, how secret agents proceed or how to escape a minotaur in a labyrinth... but you have most likely gone through one or more of our Passages. The good news is you already know the story! The bad news is you may have to accept your own change to finish it.
THE PASSING OF THE RITE
Maybe as catharsis, or because you see a rite coming your way, you want to write a ROP — one of your best possibilities for success in the industry, since all of us can empathize. To throw your character into the pits and perils of one of life’s many passages, here’s what you need to do:
Choose a “life problem” or passage, one we will all go through at one point or another. It’s best if the problem is one we really dread.
Choose a “wrong way” of coping with the problem, since our natural reaction to change is denial. You may get inspiration from your own life!
Choose a kind of “acceptance,” that particular truth the hero has been fighting against throughout the film, which implies letting go of their resistance and embracing their new world.
Study this chapter and watch ROP films closely... they may save you a fortune in therapy!
LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003)
For an actor or musician, to be “big in Japan” means to enjoy a time of success and popularity in the Asian nation. Ironically, it also can imply that the artist in question is going through a lean spell in his native country, market... or life.
This very special movie tells the story of Bob Harris, an actor who travels to Tokyo to endorse a particular brand of whiskey, but just like in his career, he is actually going through a mid-life crisis only worsened by his feeling of loneliness and detachment in a society so different from his own.
When Bob finds Charlotte, a twenty-something college graduate going through a similar phase, a window of life possibilities opens for both of them. But as in any good ROP, they approach the situation “the wrong way” and, afraid of daring to make their lives different, avoid acknowledging their mutual feelings... and risk losing each other.
Sofia Coppola managed to establish herself as a renowned filmmaker with this, her second movie. Perhaps due to its Japanese spirit, the beats of the story are subtle and even fleeting, making it a particularly good film for our study. So pay close attention, and be careful not to get lost in the translation of this beat sheet!
ROP Type: Mid-life Passage
ROP Cousins: The Leopard, Save the Tiger, Manhattan, Sideways, 8½
LOST IN TRANSLATION
Written and Directed by Sofia Coppola
Opening Image: After a close-up shot of, well, a certain body part of Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), we meet actor Bob Harris (Bill Murray), newly-landed in Tokyo and sleeping in a taxi, unaware of the night lights of the city around him. Bob’s sleep is the sign that he is oblivious to life and the new opportunities that this strange world may present to him. In the end, we will again see him in a taxi — a very different man.
Set-Up: Celebrity Bob seems eager to remain anonymous, but as he quickly discovers, it’s not that easy: he is too tall to blend in, too big for the hotel robe and too famous to be unrecognized. At the same time, we meet Charlotte, a young American girl as sleepless and as out of place as he is. Both seem to be in Stasis=Death moments — either something must change in their lives, or they will remain like this forever.
Theme Stated: The theme is subtly stated in the guilt-inducing fax that Bob’s wife, Lydia, sends him, complaining that he has forgotten his son’s birthday. “I’m sure he’ll understand,” Bob says. He is detached from his family, love and career; we know that if he returns to America unchanged, his life is destined to be unhappy.
Catalyst: Bob and Charlotte meet in the elevator — two strangers who stand out so much from the crowd (one tall, the other a blonde) they secretly share a small glance and a shy smile.
Debate: Will they end up getting to know one another? That is the question to be answered while we learn more about their lives. Bob struggles with translation issues during his frustrating commercial shoot, and Charlotte feels ignored by her celebrity photographer husband John (Giovanni Ribisi). Then, Bob rejects the “premium fantasy” of a prostitute (showing he is not up for just an easy fling), while Charlotte wanders through Tokyo, frustrated at not being able to feel anything when she visits a temple. Are they both out of touch with passion?
Break into Two: At minute 23, just when it is supposed to happen, Charlotte and Bob acknowledge each other at the bar. No words are exchanged, but their slow mutual convergence has taken a definite advance, with no turning back for either.
B Story: Both Bob and Charlotte have B Stories dealing with their unsatisfactory current relationships. All that Lydia is worried about is what color Bob prefers for his carpet, and John seems to be too interested in shallow-but-sexy celebrity Kelly (Anna Faris). Neither Bob nor Charlotte seem to find the romance, understanding and attention they desire from their current partners.
Fun and Games: How do two sleepless, lonely strangers spend their time in Tokyo? Their separate scenes become an exploration of their searches in life: Bob tries to live healthier by exercising and swimming, while Charlotte listens to a self-help tape and practices ikebana. Finally, they happen to meet at the bar again and clearly lay their boundaries, promptly telling each other that they are married. “You are probably just having a midlife crisis,” she says, acknowledging our ROP tropes. After more loneliness, insomnia and feeling out of place, when Charlotte’s husband leaves her alone for a few days, she extends an offer to Bob to go out with some friends.
Midpoint: This excuse to go out becomes, as in any good Midpoint, a chance for their public coming out, that is, to behave as if they had indeed changed. They both have fun with their new friend, sing karaoke and run away from an enraged airgun-toting bar owner, finally sharing intimacy and a cigarette when Charlotte leans her head on his shoulder. With the risk of infidelity looming, the stakes have been raised. Minutes later, Bob takes her in his arms to her room. But while this is as much Sex at 60 as we will get, Bob just tucks her into bed — they are not ready for something more. Back in his room, Bob talks to his wife, but again, it’s all about domestic matters, not him. “That was a stupid idea,” he says. Is he referring to the phone call or to imagining that he and Charlotte can be together?
Bad Guys Close In: The clock is ticking as both Bob’s and Charlotte’s time in Japan is slowly coming to an end. Have they changed after their Midpoint adventure? They should have, but haven’t! Bob plays golf alone while Charlotte looks through old pictures. They also spend more time together, talking about life and hopes for the future. They sleep in the same bed, but still don’t have sex — although Bob allows himself to rest his hand on her feet. “I’m stuck,” she confesses. “You’re not hopeless,” is his answer. Bob decides to do a talk show to stay a little longer with her, but he feels
ridiculous — it is precisely the kind of life he hates. When his wife calls again, he can’t help but tell her he is feeling lost. “Why don’t you just stay there?” she asks sarcastically, knowing it is impossible. Bob concedes and asks about the kids, returning to his father persona. “Do I need to worry about you, Bob?” Lydia finally asks.
All Is Lost: Disillusioned, Bob returns to his old ways, smoking a cigar and drinking alone at the bar... and he ends up sleeping with the redheaded singer. The next morning, Charlotte catches him and becomes angry. Bob gets a call from his wife and tells her that he will soon be home. In a restaurant, Charlotte feels hurt and makes fun of his age, while Bob counter-attacks with her need for attention. All mutual understanding lost, they seem more apart than ever, the whiff of death surrounding this once-promising relationship.
Dark Night of the Soul: That night, the fire alarm goes off, and they find each other at the hotel’s entrance, again alone and lost among many unknowns. They make amends and share a last night at the bar, taking each other’s hands. “I don’t want to leave,” she says. “So don’t. Stay here with me. We’ll start a jazz band” is his answer. Sadly, they are obviously joking, as they still don’t seem to believe that it is possible to change their lives and be together.
Break into Three: They share a peck in the elevator, the place they met, but nothing else happens. When will the tension break? The next morning, A and B Stories cross as Charlotte gets a fax from John. It seems almost inevitable that Bob and Charlotte will go on with their lives.