Practically every movie has one. Gone with the Wind has many. Titanic has a huge one. It is the point where a character’s lies, flaws, and imperfections have multiplied and ruined their life. They may have gotten caught lying, cheating, or in a misunderstanding, but for twenty minutes they suffer as if their life will never go right.
There should be a fast forward button through this part; because the entire audience knows that their lives will end up in a wonderful, comedic, storybook ending.
Most movies go in this pattern: a character starts off average, their life needing change. Soon, that change arrives (whether a person, job, etc.), and their life improves beyond what they always dreamt it would be. They are in love, their career dreams are coming true, and many comedic scenes take place. Yet, there is some sort of deceit going on. Soon enough, the lead character has gotten caught up in a web of lies and they end up worse off than at the beginning of the movie. The sad music plays, and they most likely go for a walk in the rain.
This is where an audience dazes out, having fluffy day dreams involving galloping through a field with the leading actors or planning what they want to eat for dinner. When they tune back in, the character has reconciled their relationships, and gotten back on track just in time for the ending credits.
An audience can predict the moment when a character’s life is about to turn into horror when they reach the climax of success. Just when it seems that nothing can go wrong, their lives crumble.
Though conflict is essential to a movie, and characters must make ridiculous decisions in order to keep the plot going, most of the time it is so predictable and sad. Many movie-goers prefer to ignore the gloomy parts of the movie and fantasize about a happier life.
No matter how bad the script or silly the storyline, every movie has this depressing portion. This is the practical part of life that people refuse to accept.
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