"Sort your f'ing life out!"
The character arc as it relates to theme
For this week’s rewrite steps, you can skip to the bottom of this post.
Shaun of the Dead is a near perfect film, as far as I’m concerned. It checks all the boxes: lovable characters, a thrilling adventure, real stakes and relationships… I laugh, I gasp, I cry. It’s the whole package.
And, at the center of it all, just like in most movies, is Shaun’s character arc.
A guy who has to be dragged kicking and screaming into adulthood, but when he finally gets there, he finds something far deeper and more satisfying than he ever could have imagined.
And guess what? That’s also one of the major themes of the movie! Because, in case you didn’t know…
Character Arc = Theme
Iron Man’s themes: redemption and the ethical responsibility of technology are revealed in…
Tony Stark’s character arc: as he goes from a selfish arms dealer into a selfless hero.
Jojo Rabbit’s themes: the power of propaganda and the loss of innocence shown in…
Jojo’s character arc: where he transitions from an unquestioning fanatic believer to someone who learns to trust their own experiences.
Theme is the thing that gives your story meaning. It’s why most of us want to write to begin with - to say something. Whether it’s about love or death or revenge or sacrifice… it’s at the core of the tale we’re telling.
Theme gives your film direction.
How?
By revealing itself in the journey of your main character - and where they end up tells us what you, the author, want to communicate about that theme.
And that’s not always ‘learning a lesson’, as it is often framed. There are positive character arcs, sure, but there can be negative ones too. There can also be characters who refuse to change and instead change the world around them. Or refuse to change and that perhaps is the point you’re trying to make.
For example, if your theme revolves around unrequited love - a positive arc might be someone learning to look inward to find the missing piece they’re searching for, a negative arc might be them becoming obsessed and kidnapping the object of their affection, a static arc might be everyone trying to help someone ‘move on’ but despite their best efforts to, they remain stuck in their pit of longing.
These all communicate different things - that unrequited love is often a symptom of someone’s need for external validation, or that unrequited love isn’t love at all, but an obsession to possess, or that unrequited love isn’t an ailment to be cured, but something to savor because any love is worth valuing.
But, positive, negative, static… there’s always a road they must walk down to get there.
And this is what we’re getting into today for the rewrite series.
