Take 2 films you enjoy and break down the character development and story development throughout the film:
Analyse how the main characters evolve
Analyse how the characters drive the story
If there are similarities between your films point this out and why you think they are following a similar structure if so.
Bao:
Bun mother, is busy in the kitchen making steamed stuffed bun. She gave the steamed stuffed bun, to her husband to eat. Her husband ate them as usual to go to work. When she picked up the last steamed stuffed bun in the steamer, the steamed stuffed bun came alive. It is crying loudly, the woman was scared to vomit out the steamed stuffed bun in her mouth. When she looked carefully, the steamed stuffed bun long out of the hands and legs and looks like a baby. The woman held it happily as if it were her own child. Bun baby in her side happy run accidentally fell down, package mother distressed to repair it. Bun mother, also give bun baby height measurement. Take it shopping for groceries and snacks. They get along very happily. Bun baby is also growing. One day bun baby was carried away by a puppy. Bun mother is very anxious, finally save bun baby back,and wash clean it. Bun baby grew into adolescence and wanted to play football with kids his own age. But bun mother stopped him for fear of getting hurt. Bun baby secretly and peers kick the ball, bun mother interrupt it strongly. She is afraid that bun baby will be hurt, but this has aroused bun baby rebellious mentality. He deliberately drank beer in front of Bun mother. Bun mother was curious about what her son was doing. She opened his door and peeked at bun baby. Bun baby found her, angrily slammed the door, shut her in the outside.Bun mother cooked a good table, trying to bond with his son. But he put on sunglasses and went out with his friends. Bun mother is very lost, angry, a person to eat all the dishes. Unexpectedly, at this time, bun baby brought back her girlfriend, and packed up ready to move out. Bun mother temporarily can not accept that bun baby to leave the fact, want to prevent it from leaving.The two had a heated argument. While the two were pulling at each other, Bun mother swallowed it. Bun mother regretted, a person lying in bed crying. Dimly, she saw her son returning. Bun baby brought bun mother the cookies he liked to eat when he was a child. The two men made up their relationship again. Finally, the whole family sat together to make steamed stuffed bun, and the daughter-in-law also learned how to make steamed stuffed bun, and the whole family got along with warmth, harmony and happiness.
How the main characters evolve:
Bun baby: Bun baby is actually bun mother’s son incarnation. He was nice and sensible from birth. But when he entered adolescence, he gradually wanted to see the outside world and play with other children of his own age. However, bun mother keeps him out of contact with the outside world for fear of injury, which inspires his strong rebellious mentality. Feelings grew apart between mother and son. As he grew up, he had his own ideas, but also need to have their own space. However, bun mother meticulous care, let him more disgusted and rebellious. Finally, one day, when he took his girlfriend home, packed his bags and declared independence, the conflict between them completely exploded. Finally, the son came home to visit her with the snacks he and his mother had eaten together as a child, and the two reconciled. From this, we can see that he has grown from a child into a strong-minded and mature adult who can not only take care of himself, but also comfort those around him.
Bun mother: Bun mother is a typical Chinese mother. The child has grown up, but the parents’ mentality has not changed, refusing to accept the fact that the child has grown up. Bun baby accidentally touch,injured and was bitten by a dog outside, which all made bun mother very scared, so she always took care of bun baby and protected him. And even forcefully cut him off from the outside world. But what she didn’t realize was that Bun baby had grown up and was capable of protecting himself. He had a mind of his own and was no longer that child. She stubbornly used to get along with her son in the same way, only to get more intense alienation and resistance. Finally one day, Bun baby came home with his girlfriend and announced that he wanted to get married and become independent. Bun mother stunned, she could not accept the fact that their children left him, the two people broke out a fierce contradiction, she in a very fierce way, the small steamed stuffed bun swallowed down. Finally, the son came home to visit her with the snacks he and his mother had eaten together as a child, and the two reconciled. The whole family got along with warmth, harmony and happiness. From this, it can be seen that Bao has accepted the fact that her child is grown up and independent, and has learned to respect his thoughts and opinions.
How the characters drive the story:
Bun baby came alive from the steamer, which is the beginning of the story.
Bun baby was bitten by a dog and injured ,which all let bun mother distressed. This explains her subsequent meticulous care and protection of her son. When bun baby into adolescence, eager to contact with the outside world. Bun mother is afraid that bun baby will be hurt,so strongly stop him, which inspired his strong rebellious psychology, as bun baby’s age gradually increase, feelings grew apart between mother and son. This is the rising action of the story.
When he took his girlfriend home, and packed up ready to move out, Bun mother temporarily can not accept that bun baby to leave the fact, want to prevent it from leaving, two people had a fierce quarrel. While the two were pulling at each other, Bun mother swallowed it. This is the climax of the story.
The son came home to visit her with the snacks he had eaten with his mother as a child, and they reconciled. This is the falling action of the story.
Finally, the whole family sat together to make steamed stuffed bun, and the daughter-in-law also learned how to make steamed stuffed bun, and the whole family got along with warmth, harmony and happiness. This is the end of the story.
If anything happens I love you:
In a small town, a couple sat down to eat together in low spirits, without any communication.And the souls behind them are quarrelling. Pointing fingers at each other, They imagined each other being angry at them. The man looks at the woman, tries to speak, finally sighs and walks away. The woman looked up to speak, but saw his leaving figure. The conflict between them is not resolved.The man saw the blue paint on the wall, thought of the good memories, but in a moment of pain turned away. The woman went to the door of her daughter’s room. She could not face it and shut the door. The mother looked at the flowers in the flower bed in frustration. She used to love them very much, but now she turned away in pain. The man was sitting on the couch drinking, and the woman was getting clothes from the laundry room when she saw her daughter’s clothes and burst into tears. The ball was knocked off the washing machine and flipped the switch on the daughter’s favorite music. The mother heard the song, followed the sound to the daughter’s room, then the father also followed the sound to the daughter’s room, the mother showed the father daughter’s clothes. They glanced at each other. It was as if they saw their daughter’s spirit pop out of the music disc and play with the black cat. At this time, the soul of the parents, and the soul of the daughter tightly embrace together. The father broke the silence and sat down beside the mother. They recalled their previous memories. They drive in the road, the family talking and laughing very happy. Cut to the moment the baby was born. In a twinkling of an eye, the child grew up and learned to eat by himself with a knife and fork. Twinkling of an eye, the child will kick the ball, mother in the side tending flowers and plants, father accompanied the child to kick the ball, accidentally kicked the wall broken, the daughter painted blue paint.Her parents held a party to celebrate her birthday. She received a present from a little boy. Daughter back schoolbag, into the school, parents gratified watching her leave, but their souls desperately want to stop her, but all to no avail.After she entered the school, the school bell rang. Then guns were fired across the American campus. There were lots of kids screaming, the sound of ambulances. As shots rang out, the last text message from her phone was: if anything happens I love you.These were the daughter’s last words, which like rain on parents. They are very remorseful and bitter. Daughter wanted to go to comfort, but saw their figure walking farther and farther away from each other.Her daughter tried in vain to hold them back. Then she suddenly grew big and forced them together. Let them see each other, let them see the sun.It was then that they realized that it was her daughter’s greatest wish to have them together. Finally, they are able to face each other, accept that their daughter is gone, and heal each other’s wounds. Keep their daughter in their hearts forever.
How the main characters evolve:
Parents: Facing the sad of the sudden loss of a child, they can not face, escape, blame, become indifferent between each other, and go further and further away from each other. However, when they heard their daughter’s favorite song and went into her room, they realized that their daughter was unwilling that they go further and further away from each other. Just as they regret letting their daughter go to that school. Eventually, they accepted their daughter’s departure and clung to each other to heal their wounds.
How the characters drive the story:
A couple sat down to eat together in low spirits, without any communication.And the souls behind them are quarrelling. Pointing fingers at each other, They imagined each other being angry at them. The woman looked up to speak, but saw his leaving figure. The conflict between them is not resolved, which is the beginning of the story.
When the woman was getting clothes from the laundry room, the ball was knocked off the washing machine and flipped the switch on the daughter’s favorite music. The mother heard the song, followed the sound to the daughter’s room, then the father also followed the sound to the daughter’s room. In their daughter’s room, they recalled their previous memories. This is the rising action of the story.
The daughter went to school to study, but with the sound of a gun, the daughter died. In the face of sudden bereavement pain, they cannot face, they are very remorseful, painful, and go further and further away from each other.Her daughter tried in vain to hold them back. Then she suddenly grew big and forced them together. Let them see each other, let them see the sun.This is the climax of the story.
It was then that they realized that it was her daughter’s greatest wish to have them together. This is the falling action of the story.
Finally, they are able to face each other, accept the fact that their daughter is gone, and heal each other’s wounds. Keep their daughter in their hearts forever.This is the end of the story.
Similarities & Reason:
They all follow the basic principles of narrative: the beginning, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the ending. Because the beginning of the story introduces the basic background and environment of the story to the audience, and the rising action shows and highlights the main contradiction. At the climax of the story, all conflict broke out. In the falling action, the protagonist realizes his problem and transforms. In the end, the balance of character relationships is restored.
Their story is coherent, In ‘Bao’ , when bun baby was young, Bun mother and he, on the bus together to eat snacks, very happy. After they quarreled, the son brought the same snack to his mother, in which are their fond memories. In ‘If anything happens I love you’,the plaster on the wall was broken by their daughter when she was playing football, and she painted it with blue paint. After that, every time her father looked at the blue mark, he remembered his daughter.
They are parents who love their children very much, but they have great difficulties and struggles in their hearts about about the problem of their children. But because of their love for their children, these parents grow up.
They both created their own unique narrative styles, and at the same time, they both made use of animated anthropomorphism to give the story a powerful image that leaves a deep impression on the audience. More reflects the strong feelings of parents to their children. In ‘Bao’，bun baby is compared to bun mother’s son, so that the narrative effect is more exaggerated. In the climax, Bun mother swallows bun baby, which is exaggerated and shocking. This makes the character’s previous emotions, contradictions and conflicts fully embody. In ‘If anything happens I love you’, It takes the method of adding partial memories and adding souls. Put what happened before in the back of the narrative, the narrative way is novel, better highlight the theme。The black ghosts are the soul of the daughter of the parents and them, which fully reflects the inner activities of the characters. At the same time, it increases the dramatic conflict. In the climax, the daughter forcibly pulls the parents together, which is more dramatic tension.
Reference:
- Domee Shi, 2018. Bao. [online] Available from: https://www.irismarsh.com/heros-journey-hero-archetype/ [Accessed 6 Dec 2021].
- Youngran Nho, 2020. If anything happens I love you. [online] Available from: https://www.irismarsh.com/heros-journey-mentor-archetype/ [Accessed 6 Dec 2021].