You are a caveman. And each year you join the
Woolly Mammoth hunt where half your pals get killed. So when they
ask you if you’re up for it this year, you grab your spear
and say you bet! Why? Because we like to be part of the group.
Stories I call “Institutionalized” are about the
conflict when a hero suddenly realizes that what the group is doing
is wrong — and what happens when he decides to rebel against
tradition.
Naturally when there’s a rebel in the
organization, the folks in charge challenge him right back, and
this leads to one of three outcomes: The hero can make his case and
help change the group as seen in Michael Clayton; he can be
squashed and even killed, e.g., One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nest; or he can help to “burn the place down” as seen
comically in Office Space, and dramatically in Spike Lee’s Do
The Right Thing.
Among this story type is the “false
mentor” tale seen in movies like The Devil Wears Prada,
Training Day, and Apt Pupil, where, in trying to bring a newbie
into an institution, the newbie realizes the mentor is not only
false, but so is the group.
Tales of the “I” kind suggest
individuals have value that trumps the group and celebrates those
who decide to stand up against conformity. The three common
components follow:
1. Every story in this category is about a
“group” — a family, an organization, or a
business that is unique.
2. The story is a “choice,” the
ongoing conflict pitting a “Brando” or
“Naif” vs. the system’s “Company
Man.”
3. Finally, a “sacrifice” must be
made leading to one of three endings: join, burn it down... or
commit “suicide.”
Examples: How to Train Your Dragon, Avatar, The
Hurt Locker, Crash, Do the Right Thing, M*A*S*H
