The Denouement Explained — Writing a Denouement Like Scorsese, Kubrick, and The Coens

Summary

The script explores the concept of denouement in storytelling, emphasizing its importance as the final stage where conflicts are resolved and themes resonate. Using 'The Departed' as a case study, it illustrates how a denouement can conclude conflicts, provide resolution, and recall the story's theme. The video also discusses alternative approaches to ending a screenplay, including leaving conflicts unresolved or skipping the denouement altogether, to create a lasting impact.

Takeaways

• 🔍 The denouement is the final part of a story where loose ends are tied up and the main conflicts are resolved, often providing closure and resonating the theme.
• 🌟 The term 'denouement' originates from French, meaning 'untying', symbolizing the unraveling of the story's entangled elements.
• 🎬 Successful denouements typically conclude the conflict, deliver resolution, and recall the theme, but not every denouement includes all three elements.
• 👮‍♂️ In 'The Departed', the denouement shows the aftermath of the climax, revealing the consequences of the characters' actions and their final fates.
• 🔑 The denouement in 'The Departed' uses three criteria: concluding major conflicts, providing character resolution, and recalling the film's theme of overcoming social status through deception.
• 🏚 In 'Hell or High Water', the denouement resolves the main conflict and recalls the theme of poverty as a family disease, but leaves some business between characters unresolved.
• 👻 Horror films often end with a suggestion of lingering antagonistic forces, avoiding complete resolution to maintain a sense of unease.
• 🔮 'The Shining' uses its denouement to raise more questions than provide answers, leaving the audience with an unsettling ambiguity.
• 🎼 'Inside Llewyn Davis' skips traditional narrative resolution, focusing on the theme of repeated mistakes through a recurring scene.
• 📜 Different genres favor different types of denouements, with romantic comedies and children's films often providing definitive conclusions, while crime thrillers may leave questions open.
• 📝 The script emphasizes the importance of the denouement in storytelling, suggesting it might be the most crucial part of a narrative for providing a lasting impact.

Q & A

What is a denouement?

The denouement is the final outcome of a story where the main conflicts are concluded. It literally means 'untying' in French, referring to the process of resolving the story's complexities.

Why is the denouement considered important in storytelling?

The denouement is important because it ties up loose ends, brings closure to the conflict, and allows the theme of the story to resonate with the audience. It provides a satisfying conclusion and can be crucial for the overall impact of the story.

What are the three criteria for a successful denouement?

A successful denouement should conclude the conflict, deliver the resolution, and recall the theme. These elements ensure that the story is wrapped up in a meaningful way.

How does 'The Departed' serve as a textbook example of denouement?

'The Departed' serves as a textbook example by concluding the major conflicts, providing resolution, and recalling the theme. It shows the aftermath of the main conflict, reveals the fate of the characters, and reflects on the themes of identity and deception.

How does the denouement differ in romantic comedies and horror movies?

In romantic comedies and children's films, denouements often have definitive conclusions with satisfying resolutions. In contrast, horror movies typically end with a suggestion that the antagonistic forces still remain, leaving some conflict unresolved.

What is an example of a film with unresolved conflict in the denouement?

'Hell or High Water' is an example where the main conflict is resolved, but there is unfinished business between the characters Toby and Marcus, indicating potential future conflict.

What is an example of a film with zero resolution in its denouement?

'Zodiac' ends without an arrest and with the killer still at large, providing no resolution to the main conflict and leaving the audience with more questions.

How does 'The Shining' use its denouement to add more questions?

'The Shining' resolves the main conflict but uses the final shots to force the audience to question the nature of the Overlook Hotel and Jack's connection to it, suggesting a deeper mystery.

Why might a writer choose to skip the denouement completely?

A writer might skip the denouement to leave the story open-ended or to emphasize the climax's impact. For example, 'Midsommar' ends in the middle of the climax but suggests that the protagonist's story has found resolution.

How does 'Inside Llewyn Davis' reflect on the theme without traditional narrative resolution?

'Inside Llewyn Davis' begins and ends with the same scene, emphasizing the protagonist's repeated mistakes. The Coen Brothers use this structure to prioritize the theme of personal failure and the cyclical nature of the protagonist's life over traditional narrative resolution.