Research into Typical Synopsis

1. By Jatin, Gurvir and Chloe
RESEARCH INTO TYPICAL
SYNOPSIS

2. Todorov’s theory states that most stories or plot lines follow the same pattern.
The five stages of his theory are;
1. A state of equilibrium
2. A disruption of that order by an event. (Disequilibrium)
3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred.
4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption.
5. A return or restoration of a NEW equilibrium
In all of these stages the narrative can be viewed as a linear structure and a
circular one. The narrative is supposed to be driven by attempts to restore the
equilibrium. But the equilibrium which is attained at the end of the story/plot is
not the same as the initial equilibrium.
TODOROV’S THEORY

3. Disequilibrium usually takes place outside normal social framework and
outside of the normal social events (e.g someone gets murdered, everyone in
the area is frightened, the characters then have to solve the mystery)
Todorov believes that the narrative involves a transformation, and the
characters or the situations should be transformed through the progress of
disruption. The type of narrative structure is usually familiar to us and can be
applied to many ‘mainstream’ film narratives.
TODOROV’S THEORY

4. JUNO

5. Juno MacGuff discovers her pregnancy due to a one-time sexual encounter with
Paulie Bleeker, both aged 16. Both Juno and Paulie like each other; however they
are not exclusively ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’. At first, Juno is considering an
abortion, as she is realising how incapable she is of taking care of a child on her
own. Later in the film, she decides that this is ultimately the unmoral decision to
make and, as an alternative, chooses to put the baby up for adoption. Juno
eventually tells her parents, Mac and Bren, about the predicament she is in and
they are not supportive of her being pregnant.
In a Pennysaver advertisement section, Juno luckily stumbles upon Mark and
Vanessa Loring, a couple living together. She visits the soon-to-be parents of
Juno’s baby and enjoys their company greatly. Mark, in particular, creates a strong
bond with Juno, whom he shares his interests of grunge music, as well as horror
films. Vanessa is closed off about whom she speaks to and is more eager to have a
baby. Willingly, Juno agrees on a closed, rather than open, adoption with the
Lorings, meaning she is not able to contact the baby after she gives it up.
PLOT

6. When sixteen year old Juno MacGuff becomes pregnant, she decides to put
her unborn child up for adoption. Mark and Vanessa, the adoptees, start
getting regular visits from Juno, allowing them to form a very strong bond.
Mark, in particular, starts catching feelings for Juno and starts viewing her as
more than just the mother of his future child, arising many problems during
the film.
SYNOPSIS

7. The main sub-plot within the film ‘Juno’ would be the chemistry between
Mark and Juno. They are able to form a very intimate bond with each other
within the time they spend together. However, this causes problems later
within the film, as this exact relationship is the reason Mark and Vanessa
Loring decide to have a divorce, making Vanessa very emotional towards the
end.
Another sub-plot in Juno would be the friendship between Juno and her
cheerleader friend. Juno is a very closed off person who does not often talk to
people, however she becomes very open and truthful to this one friend in
particular. It allows the audience to understand that Juno can be emotional at
times, as well as a good friend.
SUB-PLOT

8. Juno MacGuff is a pregnant sixteen year old girl from Minnesota. She is considered rebellious, sarcastic and
rude. She does not pay attention to what people think of her and is happily alone most of the time. However,
she can also come across as a bit of a flirt, making particularly close bonds with both Paulie and Mark. Her
emotional side is revealed towards the end of the film, when she is shown crying after having to give birth to
her baby and during the adoption process.
Paulie Bleeker is the teenage biological father of Juno MacGuff’s child. He is very sensitive and moral, shown
numerous times during the film, as he tries to help Juno during the duration of the film. It is also hinted in the
film that he is still in love with Juno, although they are not officially boyfriend and girlfriend. He is slightly
more outgoing than Juno, however also enjoys his own company very much.
Mark Loring is the ex-husband of Vanessa Loring, as well as the adoptive father of Juno’s child. Chilled out,
Mark is the exact opposite of his wife, Vanessa. He is very outgoing and flirty, with Juno in particular. They
share many interests and were able to form a very intimate bond.
On the other hand, Vanessa Loring is portrayed as the controlling wife to Mark. As the film progresses, she is
shown as a sweet and loving person, around children in particular. However, she is less interested in getting to
know Juno than Mark, causing friction in their relationship. At the end of the film, they decide to separate,
making Vanessa very emotionally unstable, portraying Vanessa as the victim from all of this.
CHARACTER ANALYSIS

9. Using Todorov’s theory, you are able to establish that the start of the film starts at an equilibrium,
where Juno does not yet know that she is pregnant. As the film progresses and she does discover
her pregnancy, this is the stage of disruption to the normality. The stage of recognition of that
disruption is when Juno knows she is pregnant and realises she needs to do something in order to
make sure that the baby is safe when it is born. She decides to look for adoption parents, to
which she finds Mark and Vanessa Loring. This is the stage of attempt to repair the disruption, as
she now knows what is going to happen to her child after birth. There is a return to the
equilibrium once the baby is born and is given to Vanessa Loring as a closed adoption.
Vladamir Propp’s theory of the main characters in each film has been implemented within parts
of Juno. For example, Juno could be seen as ‘The Hero’ due to her courageous decision to not
abort the baby and put it up for adoption instead. On the other hand, Paulie would be ‘The
Helper’ within the film, as he is assisting Juno throughout the film to restore the original
equilibrium. On the other hand, Mark may be portrayed as the ‘False Hero’ due to his developing
feelings for Juno during the film. This causes a lot of chaos and makes it harder for both Juno
and Vanessa. Although this film does slightly follow Propp’s theory of the main characters, it
does not have some of the vital character types within the film. For example, there is no specific
villain within the film.
TODOROV’S AND PROPP’S THEORIES

10. A film similar to Juno is ‘For Keeps’ (1988), where couple Darcy Elliot and
Stan Bobrucz are surprised with the news of Darcy being pregnant. However,
in this film, the couple decide to sacrifice their plans of college to raise their
upcoming baby. After a rushed marriage, the couple realise the struggles that
would arise from the decision made.
SIMILAR FILM

11. TYRANNOSAURUS

12. The film is about a man called ‘Joseph’ who is violent and on the verge of
being an alcoholic. He lives a very miserable life and he ends up pushing
everyone away. He earns himself some redemption from a lady he met who
owns a Christian Charity Shop. She feels sorry for him and prays for him.
They become friends. Joseph often gets into arguments and fights; he got into
a fight with a couple of teenagers who were playing pool at the pub. He also
has an on going war with a young man which lives near him and often has
confrontations with him.
PLOT

13. ‘Hannah’ who owns a Christian charity shop lives at home with her husband,
she goes to work in the day and she returns back home at night. Her husband
is abusing her physically and sexually. She does not do anything as she is so
scared of him. She returns to work with a bad black eye and she claims she
slipped getting out of the bath. Joseph asks her what happens but she does
not tell him her husband sees them together and assumes she has been
cheating on her and continues to beat her up. One night she gets drunk and
confronts him and the husband then beats her up and rapes her. Eventually
she has the courage to leave him as she cannot take it anymore and she stays
with Joseph.
SUB-PLOT

14. Joseph- He is very violent and often gets drunks. In the area that he lives in not
many people like him. Joseph does not behave in a friendly manner. He is driving
himself to self-destruction.
Hannah-She is a very devoted Christian who takes her beliefs very strongly. She
owns her owns her own Christian charity shop. She is in an abusive relationship
which she wants to get out of but has not got enough courage to do so. She is
liked by many people who come in to her shop.
James- He may appear to be quite charming and pleasant to his wife and everyone
else however in the privacy of his own home he is an abusive monster who treats
his wife, Hannah terribly. He has a few friends from the pub which he can
socialize with however he is usually alone.
CHARACTER ANALYSIS

15. The film ‘Tyrannosaurus’ does not follow the theory of the five stages in a film, as
the film starts with the woman in the film, Hannah, being domestically abused by
her husband. However, Todorov’s theory suggests that every film starts at a stage
of equilibrium. Also, the film starts with the other main character in the film,
Joseph, being a very aggressive and grumpy old man. As the film progresses, they
find that they are both good for each other, drawing both the characters towards
each other. At the end of the film, they end up living together, which turns into
the new equilibrium set after the ‘disruption’ and ‘attempt to repair’.
However, the film somewhat follows Propp’s theory of the seven main characters.
For example, Hannah can be portrayed as ‘The Hero’, due to her ability to change
Joseph’s life around and bring joy to his life. On the other hand, Joseph can be
seen as ‘The Helper’ because he was able to also help Hannah escape her abusive
relationship. James, husband of Hannah, is clearly portrayed as ‘The Villain’, due
to his abusive and very controlling behaviour towards his wife.
TODOROV’S AND PROPP’S
THEORIES

16. A film similar to Tyrannosaurus is ‘Enough’ (2002), where a waitress named
Slim marries a very wealthy man named Mitch. She moves in with him and is
finally able to live with the ‘man of her dreams’. Her dream then becomes
destroyed when she finds out about her husband’s abusive behaviour. She
decides to go on the run to escape her husband’s disruptive ways.
SIMILAR FILM

17. KIDULTHOOD

18. The film is about days in the life of a group of 15 year olds. There is a couple
who have been together for a while. The girl ‘Alisa’ is pregnant she tells ‘Trife’
and he is extremely disappointed with the news. They live in West London;
most of the characters in the film behave in a reckless manner. The teenagers
in the film are portrayed to be very violent and rude. During the film we see
the teenagers get themselves involved with drink and drugs and sexual
activities.
PLOT

19. Another storyline which contributes to the main plot of the film is when a
student called ‘Katie’ is being bullied by a group of girls who attend her
school. They often bully her physically as well as emotionally. Her parents
wonder why she is so depressed and upset all of the time but they do not
know about what is going on at school. A young boy at school called ‘Sam’
also bullies her to some extent. Katie is past the stage of having an emotional
breakdown as things just keep getting worse. One Day Katie gets picked up
from school by her father. Whilst she is in the car she is distraught, her father
asks her what is wrong however she does not reveal anything .When they
arrive outside their home Katie runs out the car and goes to her bedroom. She
plays loud music and hangs herself.
SUB-PLOT

20. Trever-Protagonist, Trever is portrayed as an immature teenage, the film focuses on his journey
becoming more mature and how he tries to escape from the negative influences of his drug
dealing Uncle Curtis and start a new positive life with his pregnant girlfriend.
Sam-Antagonist, Sam often bullies people. He is not nice to other people. Sam is the popular boy
at school and has the biggest profile at school in terms of street cred .He is viewed like a king and
no other student would dare to confront him unless they are looking for trouble.
Trife- Trife has a centre role in the film. He faces a lot of pressure at home from family. They
expect him to join the criminal world and be just like them. He tries to build up his reputation at
school and his shocked at the news that his ex-girlfriend informs him with
Alisa- Alisa is trife’s ex-girlfriend and is going through many problems in the film; she is seen to be
a nice likeable character. She finds out that she is pregnant however it is trife’s baby but is in a state
because she is no longer with him and does not want to bring up a baby by herself.
CHARACTER ANALYSIS

21. There are a few films which are similar to Kidulthood these include:
‘Screwed’ (Reg Travis, 2011)
‘Attack the Block’ (Joe Cornish, 2011)
‘Anuvahood’ (Adam Deacon, Daniel Toland, 2011)
SIMILAR FILMS TO KIDULTHOOD

22. TRAINSPOTTING

23. Mark Renton goes through terrible thoughts and attempts of sobriety with his
unreliable friends Spud, Sick Boy, Begbie and Tommy. On top of this, he has
an under-aged girlfriend named Diane, also getting involved in the negative
activities. After trying to escape the carnage he once was involved with by
moving from Edinburgh to London, Mark gradually understands he can’t
escape the life that he wished to leave behind. This is as Begbie shows up at
his front door, along with Sick Boy.
PLOT

24. Tommy's girlfriend breaks up with him, and he begins to do heroin as a way to
numb the pain. He is then diagnosed with HIV and seems likely to die. Later
on the film. Davie plans to take revenge on the man responsible for his HIV
disease, eventually killing him. The novel ends with Begbie arranging a heroin
deal in London, earning 16,000 pounds for Renton, Spud, Sick Boy, and
himself. Renton steals the cash and takes a trip to Amsterdam, ready to start a
new life.
SUB PLOT

25. Mark Renton - Is a protagonist who’s a heroin addict due to circumstances he is
facing throughout the film. The film focuses on his journey of him becoming
more of a heroin addict however, he tries to avoid the negative influences of
his drug dealing friends and decides to rehabilitate himself and attempts to change
his ways.
Spud – Spud supports Renton throughout the film however he is not capable of
getting out of his heroin addiction. He is very likeable and has constant loyalty
towards Renton.
Tommy – Tommy restricts himself from drug use throughout the majority of the
film, although he eventually gives in as Renton allows him to try Heroin for the
first time. As the movie progresses, Tommy decides to use heroin as a way to cope
with the heartbreak of separating with his girlfriend.
CHARACTER ANALYSIS

26. ‘The Acid House’ (Paul McGuigan, 1998)
‘The Basketball Diaries’ (Scott Kalvert, 1995)
‘Blow’ (Ted Demme, 2001)
‘Twin Town’ (Kevin Allen, 1997)
SIMILAR FILMS TO
TRAINSPOTTING

27. BULLET BOY

28. After being released from prison, Ricky (Ashley Walters) is collected by his friend Wisdom
and little brother Curtis. After just being released, Wisdom accidentally breaks a wing
mirror off a car on the way home belonging to a local gang member in his neighbourhood.
The following confrontation leads Ricky pulling away Wisdom to prevent a fight. Wisdom
gives Ricky a gun to keep for personal use and hides it in his room when he gets home. His
younger brother spots the gun while pretending to be asleep when Ricky places the gun in
his sock draw. Curtis then decides to move the gun in a safer place the next morning.
Moreover, Wisdom hunts down the gang member, due to a rumour dispersing that he does
not want to fight.
He decides to get his revenge and shoots the gang members dog that was used to scare
Wisdom away. As a result, the gang member decides to destroy Wisdom’s car with a baseball
bat and drive past his home shouting that he is “dead. On the other hand, later on in the
movie Curtis accidentally shoots his friend Rio when Rio suggests they take the gun out and
play with it. His mother requests Ricky to leave the house as she believes that Ricky is a bad
influence to Curtis. As Ricky is about to run, the gang member approaches Ricky at the
train station and shoots him six times in the chest
PLOT

29. Nineteen-year-old Ricky is fresh out of prison and is determined
to change his life around. Ricky wants to regain his relationship
with his ex girlfriend (Sharea Mounira Samuels). He tries his best
to convince his mother and twelve-year-old young brother Curtis
that he’s left his criminal lifestyle behind him, and believes that he
can prevent Curtis from making the same mistakes that he made.
However an old friend of his, Wisdom gives Ricky a fire arm to
keep which Ricky was unsure of holding. Wisdom gets into a
situation with Godfrey which escalates into brutal violence and
Ricky gets pulled back into the same lifestyle he previously lived.
SYNOPSIS

30. Ricky - Ricky is presented as a hero in the movie Bullet Boy. As the film focuses on
Ricky changing his lifestyle for himself and his family. He wants to become the best
possible role model for his younger brother by living through good deeds. He matures
throughout the movie and tries his upmost best to avoid bad influences.
Godfrey (The rival gang) – The rival gang constantly cause Ricky problems throughout
the movie as his old friend Wisdom gets himself stuck in a situation involving them.
They have a high street credit within their neighborhood and are presented as the
villains in the movie due to build up of many criminal activities resulting the death of
Wisdom at the end of the movie.
Ricky’s girlfriend – She a is presented as a victim in Bullet Boy as she tries her best on
directing Ricky in the right path, avoiding him from going back into custody. She
becomes frustrated and upset as the movie progresses due to Ricky’s choices of
helping Wisdom seek revenge on the rival gang. Moreover, Ricky avoids Shea’s
concerns about his involvement in the situation which results in Ricky’s death at the
end of the movie.
CHARACTER ANALYSIS

31. Kes (1969) (Ken Loach)
Pressure (1975) (Horace Ové)
The Harder They Come (1972) (Perry Henzell)
SIMILAR FILMS TO BULLET BOY