Narrative technique · used in 13 films
Changing what counts as winning partway through the story, so the hero chases a smaller, personal goal. The ending can then feel like a triumph even when the hero loses.
Examples
Martin Scorsese · 1974
Alice's goal is to sing in Monterey. By the end she has a life she did not plan, with a man and a job she likes in Tucson. When David offers to move to Monterey, she chooses to stay. The win is smaller than her dream, and it is hers.
Where to see it: The ending: David offers to sell his ranch and move to Monterey, and Alice chooses to stay in Tucson with him.
John G. Avildsen · 1976
The night before the fight, Rocky admits to Adrian that he can't beat Apollo. He says he only wants to go the distance, meaning stay on his feet for all 15 rounds. That one line resets the stakes. When he loses on a split decision, you still feel he won.
Where to see it: The night before the fight. Rocky walks through the empty arena, then goes home and tells Adrian that lasting the whole fight would prove he's more than another bum from the neighborhood.
John Huston · 1981
At halftime the team is losing 4-1, and the tunnel to freedom has just opened up in their dressing room. They could leave right then. They decide to go back out and finish the game, so a draw becomes a win of its own.
Where to see it: The halftime dressing room: the Resistance tunnelers break through, and the players persuade Hatch to come back to the pitch instead of escaping.
Sidney Lumet · 1982
Galvin begins with an easy payday. After seeing Deborah Kaye, he turns down the $210,000 offer. The goal shifts from getting paid to getting something right, and winning starts to mean something else.
Where to see it: The refused settlement: After seeing the comatose Deborah, Galvin declines the diocese's $210,000 offer, stunning the defendants and the judge.
Hayao Miyazaki · 1986
Everyone chases Laputa and its weapons, and Muska wants to use them to dominate the world. The heroes finish by reciting the spell of destruction. They win by giving the prize up.
Where to see it: The throne room: after a brief truce, Sheeta and Pazu recite the spell of destruction together, and Laputa collapses.
Martin Scorsese · 1986
Eddie starts out trying to cash in on Vincent. By the end he wants something else, to win a game for himself. He forfeits his semifinal and returns Vincent's money, so the prize is no longer the money.
Where to see it: Atlantic City: Eddie forfeits his semifinal, gives back Vincent's money and sets up a private match.
Ridley Scott · 1991
Early on, winning means reaching Mexico. When the women are cornered near the edge of the Grand Canyon, Thelma suggests they "keep going." The goal has changed. Staying free matters more to them than staying alive. The ending can read as a triumph even though they lose everything else.
Where to see it: The canyon edge: the police close in and Hal begs them to stop. The women kiss, hold hands and drive off the cliff.
Ridley Scott · 2003
At first, winning means a big payday from the long con. After Angela leaves, Roy says he needs her and would have to change his lifestyle. When the con collapses, he loses his savings and ends up selling carpet. A year later, he forgives Angela and realizes he is happier as an honest man.
Where to see it: The carpet store: a year later, Angela and her boyfriend walk into the store where Roy works. Roy forgives her and tells her he knows her name.
Richard Linklater · 2003
Dewey starts out wanting to beat his old band. By the end, he wants the kids to have a night they will never forget. The ending lets you cheer even though the band does not take the top prize.
Where to see it: The announcement after the Battle of the Bands: No Vacancy wins the contest, but the audience is on the side of School of Rock.
Ridley Scott · 2005
Balian cannot win the siege. Outnumbered, he bargains with Saladin and says he will destroy Jerusalem before giving it up. Saladin offers safe conduct to every Christian in the city, and Balian surrenders. Winning now means saving the people, and the film treats the surrender as the victory.
Where to see it: The siege of Jerusalem: after a devastating 3-day siege, Saladin and Balian meet to talk, and Balian formally surrenders in return for safe passage.
Clint Eastwood · 2009
The goal changes from winning a rugby tournament to uniting a country. Mandela does not care about the trophy for its own sake. The final is a win for the country as a whole.
Where to see it: Mandela's plan: Mandela persuades the new Sports Committee to support the Springboks, even though many black South Africans see the team as a symbol of apartheid.
Mel Gibson · 2016
Desmond never fires a shot, so winning for him means saving people. His goal shrinks to one more man each time. The ending feels like a triumph because of the lives he saved.
Where to see it: Night rescue: Desmond returns alone and lowers dozens of wounded men down the cliff by rope, praying to save one more each time.
Chloé Zhao · 2018
Brady enters a rodeo against doctors' orders because he wants to prove himself. When he sees his family watching, he walks away. Winning stops meaning a trophy and starts meaning staying alive for the people he loves.
Where to see it: Rodeo walk-away: just before he competes, Brady sees his family watching him. He decides to walk away from the competition and from life as a rodeo rider.
Questions