Narrative technique · used in 3 films
Making a character wait for a message or an answer that may never come, so their whole life revolves around an absence.
Examples
Wong Kar-wai · 1994
Cop 223 gives his ex a month to come back. He buys one can of pineapple a day, each marked to expire on his birthday. His whole life is organized around a message that may never arrive.
Where to see it: The pineapple cans. He buys the cans each day until he has 30, then decides the relationship is over.
Sam Mendes · 2005
Swofford's unit trains for months and cannot wait to see combat. They get remedial drills, routine duties and the Jodie Wall, a bulletin board of unfaithful girlfriends. The boredom turns into hunger for violence, and the action never arrives.
Where to see it: The Christmas party: Swofford organizes an impromptu party, and Fergus accidentally sets a tent on fire while cooking sausages and ignites a crate of flares.
Terry Gilliam · 2013
Qohen has waited for years for a mysterious phone call he believes will tell him why he exists. He fears leaving home in case he misses it. The wait shapes his job, his home and every choice he makes.
Where to see it: Qohen's request to Management. At a party, he asks to work from home so he will not miss the call that he hopes will give his life a purpose.
Questions