Story For Stories Sake

Sometimes it can be lonely when you can't share a viewpoint with a person.

I recently watched a movie that was not that exciting, but had an interesting perspective on the human decision making process. It set up a situation where people with a history of bad decisions have the opportunity to have zero consequences to their actions. These three people were stuck in a time loop, which allowed them to spend their day doing whatever they wished. Whether the decisions were positive or negative, they didn't matter. At first there is the thrill of getting away with anything, but when does it end? When does a person decide that they want to live a better life, even when the small things we decide don't really matter?

This question is one that I love to ask myself. Especially when I'm looking for character inspiration. The best aspect of a character to me is the nuances that make them human. Using Spider-Man as an example; The character of Peter Parker makes a decision to be selfish, despite all of the lectures and talks about responsibility that he was given. The character then goes out and performs his heroics, all the while racked with guilt over his momentary lapse in judgement.

It is also one of the reasons that I loved Les Misérables so much. I just went and recently watched the movie and I was reminded how much I enjoyed the nuances of the characters. You have a man that has a legitimate reason to hate the law and all it stands for turn into an upstanding and honorable man. Taking on commitments of honor and following through, even when it does not aid his own goals or happiness. Then you have a character that sees life in absolutes being taught about moral grey areas and personal motivations. These grey areas challenge the absolutes that he had upheld, and which have aided him and allowed him to succeed in life, and shatter the visage of black and white. The nuances of the characters play off of one another and spin an interesting and entertaining narrative.

Without the human story contained within a story, the words on paper, or electronic screen as the times would have it, are never given life. The characters, the narrative, and the interest in the story all remain flat. Something to remember when I write these posts perhaps...

Until next time, dear reader.