Monster's Ball portrays a love affair between
two troubled souls, one a corrections officer with a racist upbringing, the
other the black widow of a man he executed.
Structural Analysis
Hook
The first thing a man does upon waking in the morning is throw up.
What's going on?
Complication
The man is our protagonist, a corrections officer. So was his father,
a racist, and so is his son, who has black friends. After an altercation, the
son commits suicide in front of his father.
Call to Action
The man quits his job at the prison. He can't take it any longer.
First by chance, and then by choice, he becomes acquainted with and helps
the black widow of a man he executed.
Act One Plot Point
He and the widow begin a love affair.
Midpoint Plot Point
When the widow meets his racist father, she breaks up with him. He
puts his father in a rest home. When
the widow is evicted from her home, he takes her in. They begin living together.
Act Two Plot Point
The woman discovers a portrait by her late husband of her lover, the
former prison guard. She puts two and two together. It looks like it's over.
Climax and Resolution
But she says nothing. He comes home with ice cream. "I think we're
going to make it," he says. They need each other.
Notes
Monster's Ball is one of the best movies you can study for subtext.
Strong visual storytelling and everything happens below the surface of the
very spare dialogue. Deep emotions are communciated here, helped considerably
by the very strong performances of the two major characters. What this story
is about -- the need of two people with similar emotional issues for one
another -- is never stated explicitly. This is a wonderful story driven by
subtext.
MODULE 4: SCREENWRIGHT: the craft of screenwriting