Psychology technique · used in 8 films
Showing a character coming to recognize their own worth or voice, often through contact with someone who contrasts with them. The change is internal before it is visible.
Examples
Federico Fellini · 1965
Giulietta learns to see her own worth and her marriage clearly. The change is inside her before it shows outwardly.
Where to see it: The close: she faces her husband's cheating and moves toward independence.
Steven Spielberg · 1985
At the start Celie hardly speaks and puts up with abuse. Sofia refuses to be beaten and Shug becomes her friend. Slowly Celie finds the nerve to say no, and at a family gathering she stands up to Mister.
Where to see it: The family gathering. Celie stands up to Mister and then leaves with Shug and Grady.
Peter Weir · 1989
Todd begins the year shy. Keating's class exercise pulls a voice out of him, and the film lets you watch him find it.
Where to see it: Class exercise: Todd gains confidence through an exercise in Keating's class and finds he has something to say.
Clint Eastwood · 2009
Pienaar changes by being near Mandela. He visits the island cell where Mandela served time and finds his own idea of self-mastery. He starts the film as a team captain and finishes it as a leader.
Where to see it: Robben Island: during the tournament the Springboks visit Robben Island, where Mandela had served time. Seeing the cell inspires Pienaar to adopt Mandela's idea of self-mastery.
Phil Lord, Christopher Miller · 2014
Emmet starts as a man with no ideas of his own. The prophecy that called him the Special turns out to be invented, but the film lets him become the hero anyway. He sacrifices himself for the others, and he does it because he has decided he matters. The change happens inside him before any plan does.
Where to see it: Vitruvius' last words. As Lord Business kills him, Vitruvius admits he made up the prophecy. His spirit later tells Emmet that believing in himself is what makes him the Special.
Alexander Payne · 2017
Paul starts the film wanting a bigger house, and he ends it choosing other people over his own safety. The change shows up in one small physical decision at the vault entrance.
Where to see it: The vault: Paul starts to enter the underground vault, changes his mind, steps back outside and stays to help the slum residents.
Debra Granik · 2018
Tom begins as her father's shadow. Through the film she finds that she wants things he does not, such as people and a roof. By the end, she makes a choice that is hers alone.
Where to see it: The roadside parting. Tom goes back to the community and Will returns to the woods.
Ethan Coen · 2024
Jamie is loud and impulsive, and Marian is reserved. The trip keeps pushing Marian out of her shell, and the comedy comes from how much each one rubs off on the other.
Where to see it: The start of the trip. Jamie, fresh from a breakup, joins Marian on a drive from Philadelphia to Tallahassee.
Questions