Psychology technique · used in 3 films
Having the story argue that outcomes come from luck or an indifferent universe. Characters search for a reason and the film withholds one.
Examples
William Friedkin · 1977
Every man in the film lost his life to bad luck or a bad choice, and the jungle does not care. Even the ending gives no reward. A bar scene is cut short by a single gunshot, and the film goes black.
Where to see it: The final bar scene. Jackie is offered a new job and asks a woman to dance, and then armed men walk in and a shot is heard before the film cuts to black.
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen · 2007
Chigurh makes several characters call a coin toss. It is how he acts out his belief that fate is impersonal. In his view, the coin does the killing and he does not. The gas station scene spells this out. The owner's survival depends on a call he doesn't understand he's making.
Where to see it: The gas station coin toss. Chigurh tells the owner he's been 'putting it up' his whole life without knowing it.
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen · 2009
Larry's wife leaves, his brother is in legal trouble, a student tries to bribe him and he fears for his tenure. A junior rabbi tells him to change his perspective. Another rabbi tells a story about an orthodontist that goes nowhere. Larry wants a reason and never gets one.
Where to see it: Larry's talk with the second rabbi. Rabbi Nachtner tells him the story of an orthodontist who finds Hebrew letters on a patient's teeth.
Questions