Day 3: Pushed to a Breaking Point – GOOD WILL HUNTING

[Robert Kerr]

Bob Kerr

Pushed To The Breaking Point – Good Will Hunting

Watch the 1st Time:

What is the build up to this breaking point?

Will analyzes everything in Sean’s office, art, books everything. He is probing looking for the pressure point that will give Will what he wants. Out of this therapist relationship and on to the next therapist.

How is Will able to get to Sean and what reaction does it create?

Will disrespects Sean’s wife. Challenges Sean’s love for his wife and her loyalty and love for Sean. Sean attacks Will and threatens Will with fatal violence if he ever does it again. This reaction is something that Will understands.

Watch the 2nd time:

What drama is this scene built around?

Will is a highly intelligent young man who is filled with anger and frustration. He uses his intelligence to get what he wants – out of the therapeutic relationship. It’s worked before but Sean is a different type of therapist.

What profile items showed up in these two characters words and actions?

Right Character: Sean is the first therapist that is up to the challenge of Will’s deflections. Will is roaming the room looking for a pressure point so he doesn’t have to sit still and focus on himself.

Traits: Will: Angry, combative, lost and restless.

Sean: Patient, sense of humor, decisive and compassionate.

Secret: Will is crying for love and help.

Sean had found his purpose in life helping kids like Will

Wound: Will: Frightened and hurting from an abusive childhood.

Sean: Still grieving from his wife’s death.

Future: Together they will find a more loving and fulfilling future as they go on this journey together.

Insights: The simple movements of Sean removing his glasses before he strangles Will is a device that warns the audience something dramatic is going to happen.

Breakthroughs: In my script: I have Fran’s father reaching the breaking point but it lacks the build up to get to the final moment when he loses it and threatens Fran with her safe harbor.

What I learned from this lesson: There are subtle ways to indicate that a character is being pushed to the breaking point. The process is very much like a dance emotionally. I can enhance the tension, drama and ultimate transformation by focusing on those techniques.

[Joan Butler]

Will is in a power struggle with Sean and Will looks for a way to hurt him. With each attempt, Will gets crueler. When Will brings up Sean’s wife, Will thinks he has Sean right where he wants him. Then Sean breaks and grabs Will by the throat. He is afraid. Now Sean has the power.

Profile Items

Right character: Will is an angry young man. Sean appears to be able to handle that anger until he breaks.

Traits:

Will vs Sean

anger vs mild mannered

cruel vs kind

harsh vs gentle

Wound: Will – probably something in his childhood. Sean – probably something to do with his wife.

Future: As Will tears down everything, he lives the future of Sean not wanting to work with him. Before his break, Sean lives the future of helping Will.

These are great characters not only because they are opposites who have to work together but because they are, potentially, a danger to each other.

Breakthrough:

When my protagonist’s sixteen-year-old daughter says, “I hate you”, I originally had my protagonist simply be the loving mother who accepts it. Now, I have her extremely tired when her daughter makes that statement. She slams the door and begins to cry. This lets the audience know how she really feels.

[Lynn Vincentnathan]

What makes this character great from a writing perspective?

Sean is built up to the breaking point, but he seems to be handling Will very well right up to Will saying, “Maybe you married the wrong woman.” At which point Sean snaps and Will has a gleam in his eye for finding Sean’s weakness. Will obnoxiously presses again and Sean gets violent.

Both characters show confidence and think they’ll outsmart the other, lots of sassy dialogue in a smarts contest, then weightlifting. They are sizing each other up. But Will wins by triggering Sean’s rage over mention of his wife, Sean’s big wound, which also makes him a very sympathetic and likeable character, despite his violent reaction.

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I need more build up and conflict between my main characters in a way that also makes them sympathetic and resonate with the audience.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 4 months ago by  Lynn Vincentnathan.