Day 5 – GOOD WILL HUNTING

[Sandeep Gupta]

For context, the first revelation begins with SKY confronting WILL after his stubborn refusal to go to California with her. She has seen through him, caught his lies, is onto his unconscious irrational fear, and still loves him deeply enough to want him to trust her. So she fights back when he resists and denies being scared. Then Will, in escalating-denials hurls the burnt stereotype he has maybe seen or somehow just projected from his insecurities. That forces her to say something she may never have had a reason even to say to herself. In the world she grew up in, that may not have become an evident-truth till a moment before the accusation. See my take in second insight, below.

Insight
The first petit-insight/breakthrough is the complimentary nature of their wounds. From these scenes Sky’s lack is her father’s memory since her early teens, ergo her attraction to a boy infinitely taller than her peers, and protective. That explains the depth of her willingness to give it a shot.

In reference to why I feel Sky is also making that discovery for the first time is I believe her strong cathexis on Will is subconscious, making it the second insight here. [I2]

See breakthrough below why I think this is true and why it is worthy of note.

I don’t know if this next one will qualify for a full insight as I haven’t figured out so far why Will thinks she is the one. Other than for one her delicate sensibilities can come across as vulnerabilities to him and trigger his need to protect. He is sharp enough to recognize her intense sensitivity and strength, and yet fumbles at the “proof” he needs because she uses a word so foreign to him by disuse and early abuse. She says “she feels she knows it.” Last time wherever that boy reached out for empathy from a parental figure he was burnt with stubs and beaten. That’s my take at shrinking this scene’s character motivations.

Why am I talking like I know these two, and care so much? That’s fourth. Brilliant writing brings 115 pages to full lives.

Breakthrough
For one, I2 was not an accident. For Sky’s relational-need to be subconscious, she had to have grown up in a fairly stable home. I doubt anyone stakes out for a significant other that mirrors their parent or even knows it till later, that’s if lucky. For her to want what she wants, the alternative e.g., would be for her to be on a reform crusade, and not just “recognizing” the one. For that she would require a very different upbringing. And it would kill the story with the character design being so on the nose and predictable, because she wouldn’t be this demure, sexiest, mysterious, sensitive girl “not really fishing for anyone” at the bar. That’s my breakthrough within the major breakthrough “Darn, this ___ matters.”

Let’s go see what y’all got. Feedback very welcome. If you sound angry at me, I might silently take your advice for free and not respond to give you credit.

• This reply was modified 2 years ago by  Sandeep Gupta. Reason: peritext

[Lawrence Fraly]

Sandeep. Thanks for pointing out that Will is lying. Also, the contemporary nature of their wounds. Outwardly, at least. I suspect these two wounds are not limited to our era.

[Paul McGregor]

Week 1. Day 5.

What makes this character great from a writing perspective?

From a writing perspective this character (Will) is great because there are so many levels to him. One wound hides another. This is demonstrated by the very fact that, at the end of a scene in which his actions and words scream some wounds and hint at others, we still don’t know why he doesn’t want to go to California! One of the wounds we discover here is how he was treated as a child. His overwhelming feeling of social inferiority is another wound. The writer has revealed these wounds while portraying Will going from being soft and close to Skylar (at minute 1:26 he says, “I’m not saying I don’t love you.”) to almost smashing her head against the wall and demolishing her with the words, “I don’t love you.”

The writer does a great job of slowly revealing the wounds and accompanying that with a full range of extreme emotions.

END

[Sandeep Gupta]

Paul, why do you think we don’t know why he is scared of going to California. I mean what am I missing? Didn’t he make it clear and then Skylar confronted it to be his defense mechanism? What’s the doubt I didn’t catch?

Aside — didn’t figure how / if connections work, but the idea to try that was to possibly point out quietly that Deb Johnson’s explanation of living into the future, and the dictionary meaning of prolepsis seem to add more understanding to the concept.

• This reply was modified 2 years ago by  Sandeep Gupta. Reason: clarification

[Paul McGregor]

Hi Sandeep, I was thinking, after writing that, that maybe we find out earlier in the movie why he didn’t want to return to CA. Since I hadn’t watched the movie (I was never a great fan of Robin Williams) I didn’t know his reasons. Good luck with your writing!

[Sandeep Gupta]

thanks Paul, i’ve almost finished watching the movie for the first time today and looking at it in pieces and out of order. there is one more set up to his reluctance, and if you hadn’t mentioned this, i wouldn’t have noticed it but it is relevant. wouldn’t spoil your surprise. very humbly, it is probably not the Robin Williams you don’t like (talk shows / GMV? i hear you!) in this one he is showing his nom comedy chops. it is also not the movie loglined to me as about an abused boy but it is a Matt movie. it’s brilliant. he had terrific depth as a kid too, clearly.

[Paul McGregor]

Thanks, Sandeep. Will try to watch it too. Now, onto Week 2… All the best.

[Deb Johnson]

The reason this is great (from a writing perspective) is because the characters are perfectly balanced and their core wounds are in direct opposition to one another. This delivers drama.

Skyler refuses to be rejected by Will’s “made up” excuses because she loves him. Will pushes back because he believes his world is too dangerous and ugly for Skyler – they are from two different worlds.

It’s just like the opposing characters in “The Banshees of Inisherin”. If Padraic would have just given Colm some space, the events of the story would not have escalated as they did. But Padraic loves/cares for/doesn’t want to lose Colm and refuses to let him go – thus, the conflict ensues… both taking extreme action as a result.

[Lawrence Fraly]

Deb. I love that you brought up Banshees. Their wounds are almost inexplicable, because they are so tied to each other’s identity that when Colm breaks away, they both break into antagonists, archetypes of love / hate being two sides of the same universe. Somehow, that does seem very relevant to the love / hate that Will expresses.

[Karyn Laitis]

Character Mastery: Week 1, Day 5—Good Will Hunting

Karyn Laitis

· What causes both characters to reveal their wounds?

FEAR! Self-doubt! The fear of the future and unknown. The thought of disrupting his life is out of Will’s comfort zone. He fears change regardless of his feelings for Skylar. He believes he isn’t worthy of a sustainable relationship with her, accusing her of playing with the lower class. Skylar professes her feelings of love and wanting him with her which Will cannot accept. It becomes an internal conflict for each with self-doubt and a need for constancy and security.

· How are those wounds motivating their emotions, actions and reactions?

Will is projecting a worse case scenario making him a big loser and schmuck. No amount of love or logic can overcome his fears. He is angered (at himself) at being used. He provides glimpses of his hurtful/abusive past and he can never be vulnerable again. In her need for love, Skylar attempts to sooth the beast, provide comfort and reassurance. It only fuels Will’s angst and cannot penetrate Will’s walls. He goes from anger to shutting down and running. He cannot risk losing his comfort one for anyone or anything.

· How is each character threatening to other’s wounds?

Each has an emotional investment in the other. It then becomes a control issue. If one makes the emotional commitment, there is vulnerability and exposure to hurt. Whether that be abandonment or lost love. The one the leaves first is less vulnerable. Interesting that Will’s genius and prowess cannot get him out of this dilemma. It is too deep. Everything else is a defense mechanism.

· What drama was the scene built around?

Timing, intimacy, and a reality check of their relationship. The clock is ticking since Skylar will be leaving soon. She wants to commit to the next step. Will cannot and still maintain his equilibrium. Is it a fling or something much deeper?

· Traits:

o Skylar

§ Compassion

§ Frustration

§ Fear

§ Vulnerability

o Will

§ Confused

§ Combative

§ Fear

§ Hurtful (best defense is a good offense)

[Sandeep Gupta]

thanks Karyn, nice catch re ticking clock i don’t think any of us wrote noticing it being integral to drama, and of., the traits as you do.

[Lawrence Fraly]

Karyn. Fear and self-doubt. Your insight here gives me a much broader perspective to view this scene. Will’s insecurity in this scene is complete opposite to the scene in the bar when he confronts the arrogant grad student.

[Leona Heraty]

1. Please watch this scene and provide your insights/breakthroughs into what makes this character great from a writing perspective.

Will is tough on the outside and very intelligent. But he’s hiding his wounds from his childhood abuse by being angry and pushing Skylar away. I found out from another student’s comments that one thing that makes this scene so interesting is that Will and Skylar come from opposite worlds. There is irony there and there’s irony that Skylar doesn’t care that Will is poor.

Skylar seems to have a carefree life because she’s rich and beautiful. But she reveals her deep grief and sadness at the loss of her father when she was 12 years old. She would give all her money back to see her Dad again.

2. Read the other writers comments and make notes of any insights/breakthroughs you like.

I found out from another
student’s comments that one thing that makes this scene so interesting is that
Will and Skylar come from opposite worlds. There is irony there and there’s
irony that Skylar doesn’t care that Will is poor.

[Trish Carothers]

What I learned from doing this assignment is how pale and unreal my characterizations are. To challenge myself to imagine and create real actions and responses from my characters as real people living real lives, as they once did, is the goal, not just going from A to Z. To see such excellent writing and acting is both intimidating and inspiring.

Minnie Driver is excellent in this role, as is Matt Damon. Matt Damon is over the top, highly emotional and convincing in his hurt and rage. He is quite unprepared after sex with Driver to be confronted with 1) her request that he move to California to be with him, and 2) to be confronted with her accurate assessment of his wound. The two states, bliss vs pain is too much for him to handle. The pain button Driver hits is very apparent. It literally catapults him into the atmosphere of emotional rage. He immediately distances himself from her touch, then follows it up by beating her up emotionally as payback, purposefully. His incendiary response triggers her own wound and sensitivity, attacking her mercilessly and noisily sends her into the stratosphere of need – a disappointment for her agenda. seemingly so innocent. In this scene, Driver shows her courage and bravery to even bring up the issues, facing them head-on, and acknowledging her need as she begs him to be honest with her. A scene that is in the face of the audience and for those with these issues, brutal, emotional, and convincing. Wow! Terrific writing.

[Trish Carothers]

Karyn, I loved your analysis, especially the fear, which I either missed or was running underneath the intense emotional acting in this scene. The wound exposure was phenomenal, and I like how you addressed that.

[Lawrence Fraly]

1_5 CHARACTER WOUND

Goodwill Hunting

What I learned rewriting my scene/character

Sadie thinks Derek’s getting killed is her fault for scaring him into the street. This trails back three years earlier to her having picked up a rifle against her father and putting it down before he saw her with the rifle.

1st WATCH

What causes both characters to reveal their wounds?

She wants him to go to California with her. He doesn’t want to.

How are those wounds motivating their emotion, actions, and reactions?

Skylar wants to hear Will say he loves her. She practically pleads with him to say so. Hearing him say he loves her seems more important than him saying he’d go to California with her.

Will gets very defensive about leaving, raising the volume and intensity as she keeps at him to say he loves her or not. He acts like he’s going to hit her after he tells her he’s an orphan, and she keeps on the subject of him loving her, and that she can help him. He gets really fired up when she hits his wound of him being strong enough to live without hers or anyone else’s help.

They threaten each other’s wound by playing the role opposite what each needs. She says she’ll leave him alone if he says he doesn’t love her. As he walks out (abandoning her), he says he doesn’t love her. He attacks her as being a rich bitch slumming with him. She says she had no say in her money, inheriting from her father, and the money means nothing to her, if she could have even one more minute with her father (losing his love when he died).

He turns his wound against her – by abandoning her.

She turns her wound against him – by him losing her love.

2nd WATCH

What drama was this scene built around? They are in bed together, intimate, trusting their vulnerabilities to each other. But that trust blows up in their faces when it turns out each character’s vulnerability is a corollary of the other’s. Each is alone in their own way — Skylar by losing her father; Will by being an orphan.

What traits show up in these characters’ words and actions?

Skylar is a rescuer (as a metaphor for bringing back her father, creating a father figure who will be beholden to her). She quietly suffers her pain. She pleads for love but is used to loss, regardless of the pain, and will walk away if he walks away from her. She defers emotional responsibility to the other person to make decisions for her. This is her loss of father figure.

Will is a fighter. Gut punch fighter. Going for her weakest points which he assumes is her wealth, about which he’s wrong. He’s impulsive and quick to judge, holding grudges in life that are misplaced in her. He pushes her away, pushing himself back on the streets alone – turning away from a faux mother figure in her. He’s not a loner, but he acts like he doesn’t need her to care about him.

BREAKTHROUGH

I knew about wounds from other courses and such, but seeing these two affect each other’s wounds is a real eye-opener for me. The relationships are more important than the wounds and the secrets themselves.

I also love the raw emotional dialogue that plays off each other. Plays into each other. Their facial expressions and volume of delivery builds with their emotions, and the dialogue becomes quicker and sharper, like weapons moving in at close quarters.

What makes this character great from a writer’s perspective is the layers each peels away from the other, digging deeper into each other’s wound without realizing what they’re doing to the other. Gives each other opportunity to build emotional exchange. Each shows just enough of their wound to cause the other to show more of their wound. On the surface, each has different goal. She wants to leave (with him). He wants to stay with or without her. Subtext, they’re both hurting, causing each other to hurt worse by bringing their subtexts close to the surface, but only close enough to not push each other apart. His subtext forces her to abandon him. Her subtext forces him to say he doesn’t love her.

Insights from others: Will and Skylar battle for control.

Each has subconscious reasons for their wounds (subtext?).

The two come from different levels of society (different worlds).

[Deb Johnson]

“His subtext forces her to abandon him. Her subtext forces him to say he doesn’t love her.”

Great insight. This helps me better understand how the “wound” plays out in the scene… creating a movement in the characters that makes for relevant/interesting drama. (Which is what we are trying to create!). Wounds beget wounds… so to speak.

[Rita Adewole]

Insight – we get a feel of whether or not the relationship has a future

Breakthrough – the reveal of her dead father and his abusive childhood

Writing perspective – a layer of emotions is revealed.. The closer she tries to get to him, the further he pushes away.