Narrative technique · used in 2 films

Impossible Quest Structure

Organizing the film as a search for something that, by the story's own logic, can never be found or confirmed. The fact that the quest can't succeed is the point of the film.

Examples

2 films that use it

  1. The Seventh Seal (1957) poster

    The Seventh Seal

    Ingmar Bergman · 1957

    The knight wants proof that God exists, in a world where that's exactly what can't be proven. The chess game is his method. By delaying death long enough, he hopes to do 1 thing that shows life has meaning. Bergman's point is that the quest was always impossible, and that knowing this is wisdom.

    Where to see it: The knight's confession scene. He tells Death his strategy. The confession shows the trap of looking for evidence of something that can't have evidence.

  2. Stalker (1979) poster

    Stalker

    Andrei Tarkovsky · 1979

    The Zone's Room grants wishes, yet no one who reaches it goes in. The Writer and the Professor argue the whole way about whether it exists, whether it works and whether they want what they think they want. The structure mirrors a problem from theology. A destination that is approached and never reached is the central meaning of the film.

    Where to see it: The threshold of the Room. The 3 men sit in front of the entrance, unable to go in, and argue about what they really desire.

Questions

Quick answers

What is impossible quest structure in film?
Organizing the film as a search for something that, by the story's own logic, can never be found or confirmed. The fact that the quest can't succeed is the point of the film.
Which films use impossible quest structure?
The Seventh Seal (1957), Stalker (1979).
What kind of technique is impossible quest structure?
It is a narrative technique. Related narrative techniques include Death as Personified Interlocutor, Medieval Modern Allegory, Dream Logic Structure.

Keep exploring

Related techniques