The film Side Effects uses a conventional narrative structure with a clear beginning, middle, and end. It begins by introducing the main character Emily and establishing her happy relationship. In the middle, Emily's mental state deteriorates as she kills her husband while sleepwalking. By the end, the psychiatrist gets his life back and Emily is sent to the hospital, providing resolution. The conventional structure makes the story easy to follow and provides comfort for the audience.

1. Conventional Film Narrative Structure
Assignment 14:
Narrative Structure Analysis In A
Film
Judy Ibelgauptiene
Katia Martins
Leticia Silva
Noor Naoum

2. 1. Side Effects (Psychological Drama)
• A young woman's world unravels
when a drug prescribed by her
psychiatrist has unexpected side
effects.
• Emily Taylor's husband Martin is
released after serving a four-year
prison sentence for insider trading.
• Emily drives her car into a concrete
wall in an apparent suicide attempt.
• Jonathan Banks her assigned
psychiatrist, fears for her safety but
agrees to her release from the
hospital as long as she attends
sessions with him on a regular
basis.

3. 2. Has the institution created a text with a
conventional (stereotypical) narrative structure?
Yes, there is a clear narrative which can be broken down
into:
Beginning (Equilibrium) – Happy relationship/life
Middle ( Disequilibrium) – Main character becomes crazy
and kills husband and life goes down hill for Psychiatrist
End ( New Equilibrium) – Main character gets help and
Psychiatrist gets his life back.
There is a linear structure because the film goes
chronologically.

4. 3. Explain how the film is narrative implicit or explicit?
Scenes
Car crash scene
Explanation of
implicit/explicit
It is implicit because we don’t
understand the reason and what is
actually happening. There is no clear
understanding of why she is going to
kill herself.
Its explicit because it links to the
title of the story. Its implicit because
we don’t understand the purpose
behind killing her husband whilst
sleepwalking.
Sleep walking scene
Taking the pill
it is explicit because we knew what
led her to having these side effects,
and that it all started off from taking
the tablets.
Psychiatrist
It is explicit because in this scene we
new that she was fearful of
something happening or from a
person she is communicating with.

5. 4. How the film uses conventional
narrative structure (Beginning)
Beginning (Equilibrium) ‘The Set Up’
In the beginning of the film we are introduced to the main character Emily and her husband Martin. We
learn that Emily is crazy and sees a psychiatrist.
We see her crash her car into a wall, this sets up the story as we want to know what is wrong with Emily.
At a party scene
Emily and Martin
at counselling
Crashing car
/Emily’s attempt
suicide scene
Emily and Martin
together
One of the first scenes is of
them at a party and their
relationship and life seem to
be in a good place so the
film starts off quite
positively which is
conventional of most films.
As they want to build up the
film to create tension.
One of the first scenes is of
them at counselling
showing there is a problem
in their lives and their trying
to fix it. As its main genre
being a drama its to do with
their relationship.
This is part of a
conventional narrative
structure as there is usually
a small dramatic scene in
the beginning to pull you in
to the film as it’s a
psychological drama film.
The couple seem happy
which is conventional of this
narrative structure as
everything usually starts of
happy and positive. And you
see that the counselling is
helping even after the
suicide attempt.

6. 4. How the film uses conventional
narrative structure (middle)
In the middle (Disequilibrium) of the film the main character Emily kills her husband Martin, this creates
tension, as the audience wants to find out why she killed him and if she’s actually crazy.
Emily is taking
drugs
Emily is sleep
walking
Emily murders her
husband while
sleep walking
Emily tries to
commit suicide
again
Emily has been prescribed
drugs to help her mental
condition which seemed to
help at first but turn out to
make it worse. This is
conventional of this narrative
structure as the problem gets
worse towards the middle of
the film to intrigue the
audience.
One of the side effects of the
drug she is using is sleep
walking however this causes
her to murder her husband in
her sleep. This is conventional
as it is building up the film to
the main problem/focus of
the film.
This is the climax of the film,
which is conventional as this
usually happens during the
middle of the movie as it
causes the audience to feel
shocked and excited.
This is conventional as it
builds on the climax of the
film causing more tension as
you want to know why she
has killed him and why is she
now trying to kill herself.
What is the aim of all of this.

7. 4. How the film uses conventional
narrative structure? (End)
Ending (New Equilibrium) ‘The Resolution’
In the end the psychiatrist Jonathon gets his life back and wins his case, and Emily stays in the hospital.
Court Case
Villain goes to
prison
Jonathon’s life
goes back to
normal
Emily gets sent
to the hospital
This is conventional
structure as for the
resolution they try to go
to court to prove the
innocents of the
psychiatrist Jonathan to
try end the film with a
resolution and to prove
his innocents.
It uses a conventional
narrative structure as
the bad guy/villain gets
sent to prison meaning
justice was found and
the film ending on a
good note.
This is a conventional
ending as he gets his
resolution that he gets
his job, family and life
back and Emily goes
away. His life is once
again complete.
Emily is sent back to the
hospital as not
psychologically stable.
This is conventional as
this was the aim, for her
to go to hospital and to
get better. So this is the
new resolution.

8. 5.Explain the reason for conventional
or unconventional narrative structure
• The film Side Effects has a conventional structure
because its easier to follow the storyline as its linear
meaning you wont get confused.
• As it gives you a sense of awareness, being able to
establish the characters and how the film will progress.
• Also its to see the journey of the character and their
emotional state, meaning we can see them change as a
person.
• Another reason for it being a conventional narrative
structure is that the audience can relate giving them
comfort.

9. 6.What impact does the narrative
structure have on the audience?
• The film Side Effect’s narrative structure can
impact the audience as they may feel they can
relate to the film giving them comfort.
• They will also feel more engaged in the film as
unlike an unconventional film it wont be
confusing as it goes in a linear narrative
(beginning, middle and end) making it easier
to understand.

10. 7.What audience expectations have they
established or challenged by using this
narrative structure?
• In the genre of psychological drama the audience would
generally have the following expectations about narrative
structure:
• To be in the perspective of the first person (focusing on the
psychological problems)
• To not be in a chronological order
• To be set over a lifetime (including flashbacks and flashforwards)
• Therefore, the narrative structure is established because its
linear it goes beginning, middle, end.