narrative theory peer assessment

 

The Black Phone-

In the film the black phone, we can see a very clear presence of Todorov’s narrative theory and Strauss’ theory using binary opposition.  At the start, there is equilibrium, this being a normal town in America. We open on a baseball game being played by a group of kids, this being a normal activity, it can be considered equilibrium. The disruption is when kids start going missing more frequently and eventually the main character is taken. During this stage we get to see altmans theory working with visceral and intellectual pleasure, as there is an air of mystery about the person nicknamed “the grabber” and his real identity. Visceral pleasure comes from the frightening scene of the main characters capture, including a struggle between the main character and the antagonist. The antagonist is made with Strauss’ binary opposition theory as he is doing something inherently evil, this being kidnapping, he also uses black balloons and obscures his face, leading us to believe he has ill intentions. The realisation is when the protagonist is stuck in the antagonist’s basement, helpless. He then notices a phone ringing on the wall, which is where he is given information on how to escape from the antagonist’s previous victims. Repair in this film is when the protagonist takes the many failed attempts at escapes and makes a trap for the antagonist using the items acquired from these attempts. During the stages of realization and repair, there is also a sub-plot involving the protagonists sister where she is trying to find her brothers whereabouts, this could be considered an intellectual pleasure as it takes a very investigation heavy feel.

 

Linked Points – 1

5/8

No Paragraphs – bruh

Not 8 marks because you haven’t used all of the narrative theory points, and you haven’t used paragraphs.