Narrative technique · used in 4 films
Letting chance, luck or a prophecy steer the plot, so outcomes feel governed by forces beyond character intention and moral desert.
Examples
Robert Altman · 1993
Chance decides who lives and dies. A boy steps in front of a car, a killing may be blamed on an earthquake and nobody has control. The film refuses to give these events a moral reason, which makes them feel true.
Where to see it: The earthquake: after Jerry kills a young woman with a rock, a major earthquake strikes. The aftermath suggests his act might be mistaken for damage from the falling rocks.
Woody Allen · 2005
In the opening voiceover Chris says luck matters more than people admit, and the film compares it to a tennis ball that clips the net. After the murders, Mrs. Eastby's ring bounces off a railing and lands on the pavement instead of the river. That accident later clears him. You can read it as the film's whole argument.
Where to see it: The ring on the riverbank. Chris throws the stolen jewelry into the river, but the ring bounces off the railing and falls onto the pavement.
Joel Coen · 2021
The witches tell Macbeth he will be king and that Banquo's line will rule. Macbeth kills to stop that, and his plan falls apart. Birnam Wood coming to the castle and Macduff's unusual birth close the trap.
Where to see it: Birnam Wood and the duel: Malcolm's army advances with branches from the wood, and Macduff, not born in the usual way, kills Macbeth.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi · 2021
Each episode turns on a coincidence. A new crush is a friend's old boyfriend, a misdirected email ruins a plan and a stranger at a reunion turns out to be the wrong person. The title suggests a wheel of fortune, and the film lets it spin.
Where to see it: The first episode. Tsugumi tells her friend Meiko about a man she has just met, and he turns out to be Meiko's ex-boyfriend.
Questions