No Villain, No Confrontation -- Will it still work?

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  • No Villain, No Confrontation -- Will it still work?

    A girl runs away from her aloof and generally not very good father to live with her mother on the other coast. His father, to show that he's changed and really wants her back, goes after her. Along the way, he discovers that he really wasn't that good of a father and that the daughter is better off with the mother so he stops chasing her.

    There's no villain here in the traditional sense and no confrontation in the third act. Question - do I need some confrontation in act 3?

  • #2
    Re: No Villain, No Confrontation -- Will it still work?

    Perks of Being a Wallflower -- there is no antagonist as such, but Charlie has been repressing a lot of memories and anger his whole life. the third-act climax is his epiphany as the repressed memories come flooding back to him, allowing him to change

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    • #3
      Re: No Villain, No Confrontation -- Will it still work?

      JB - you're right... I've forgotten that movie even though it's one of my favorites.

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      • #4
        Re: No Villain, No Confrontation -- Will it still work?

        KRAMER VS KRAMER

        Joanna wants her son back but concludes he's better off with the father.
        Story Structure 1
        Story Structure 2
        Story Structure 3

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        • #5
          Re: No Villain, No Confrontation -- Will it still work?

          i watched POLLOCK a few years ago and wondered who was the antagonist, etc. who is what?

          -is the blank canvas the villain, or a best friend, wife, etc, maybe the one he must pray to to help him at times, etc?

          -who is the 'bad guy' in the movie?

          -it seemed obvious who wasn't the villain with some of the characters.

          -i'm not good at figuring things like that out...but just know i found the movie engaging.

          -hard for me to find a villain in that story, even the booze, even the painter of the story.

          -everything in that story seemed to be FUEL for what ended up on those huge canvases, which at some point were deemed great art.

          -maybe art deemed 'great art' is the villain.

          -doubt that but anyway, just meandering...
          Last edited by AnconRanger; 09-30-2016, 06:31 PM.

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          • #6
            Re: No Villain, No Confrontation -- Will it still work?

            one other dumb thought. In NEBRASKA, the villain seems to be the thief of old age and regret, and the end of old age was like a bumper car in an old ride in an amusement park long shut down, if that makes any sense. lots of confrontations but no villains that others probably won't face when in their last ticket line.

            everybody in a bumper car in that movie is the same pretty much...sitting in a bumper car.

            but one has bruce dern in it, with a piece of paper in his pocket worth a million dollars.
            Last edited by AnconRanger; 09-30-2016, 06:42 PM.

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            • #7
              Re: No Villain, No Confrontation -- Will it still work?

              Originally posted by socalwriter1 View Post
              A girl runs away from her aloof and generally not very good father to live with her mother on the other coast. His father, to show that he's changed and really wants her back, goes after her. Along the way, he discovers that he really wasn't that good of a father and that the daughter is better off with the mother so he stops chasing her.

              There's no villain here in the traditional sense and no confrontation in the third act. Question - do I need some confrontation in act 3?
              The villain is himself. That's what it sounds like, and whether you realize it or not the fact that he comes to the decision that he KNOWS he isn't a good father and let's her go, can be a very compelling final confrontation and realization. It can work well.

              The character arc then can be about him sacrificing his own needs to keep his daughter safe and secure. With the ultimate sacrifice to let her go because it's the best thing for her, he shows that he has changed-- it's a selfless act from someone who used to have selfish desires.

              What might be nice, is in the denouement, is if the daughter realizes that her father has grown and is now willing to have a more meaningful relationship with him.

              Final confrontation doesn't mean it has to be a physical battle, though that is typically the form it takes. An important, nuanced story can be a very compelling and fulfilling as well.

              It's all in the execution.
              "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

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              • #8
                Re: No Villain, No Confrontation -- Will it still work?

                Thanks guys.

                And finalact, yes, I did sought of have in mind what you wrote but was afraid I'd get blasted by some reader for having such a "soft" act3. Thanks for your reply.

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                • #9
                  Re: No Villain, No Confrontation -- Will it still work?

                  You don't necessarily a villain or a bad guy.
                  But you definitely need conflict.
                  How the father realizes he was a bad father? It must be through conflict.
                  There are very good movie examples in this thread. All og them are resolved through conflict. In none of them character stays sitting on a chair and suddenly realizes "oh, I was a bad father".
                  Check out my website with my productions: http://www.picturesplusproductions.com

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