Todorov proposed a theory of narrative structure that he believed could be applied to any film. The theory consists of 5 stages: 1) equilibrium, where power is balanced; 2) disequilibrium, caused by a disruption to the order; 3) acknowledgement of the disorder; 4) an attempt to repair the damage; and 5) a new state of equilibrium is reached, restoring normality. This structure can be seen in most film narratives, with the disruption normally occurring outside of everyday situations, such as a murder investigation.

1. Tzvetan Todorov
narrative theory

2. Todorov theory
•Todorov in 1969 produced a theory which he believed to
be able to be applied to any film, He believed that all films
followed the same narrative pattern. There are 5 stages in
Todorov theory, called the equilibrium, disequilibrium,
acknowledgement, solving and again equilibrium.
•This structure can be applied to most film narratives and
most modern films.

3. Stage 1 and 2
• stage 1 of todorov theory is a state of equilibrium (as it
should be) power is balanced on both sides, state of
equal balance between unity and most characters are
happy in a normal everyday situation
• stage 2 is a (disequilibrium) disruption of that order by
an event that has happened, this normally takes place
out of the normal social situation e.g. someone has
gone missing and they have been murdered and one
of the characters is finding the murderer

4. Stage 3, 4 and 5
• stage 3 is a recognition that the disorder has occurred
e.g. characters finding out that something bad is
happening and acknowledging this
• stage 4 is an attempt to repair damage at the end of
the disruption
• stage 5 is a restoration or a return in new equilibrium
at the end of a narrative, and normality returns