The Island (2005)

[Tous]

This is my first attempt at discovering a storyform.

The Island

Starring Ewan Mcgregor and Scarlett Johansson. If you’re interested, I encourage anyone to watch the film and have Dramatica open while you do it. Please let me know what you think; I rather enjoyed it, and would like to see if anyone has any thoughts about what’s missing here, or in the film itself. (also, if anyone has any notes on my formatting, please share) Thanks

Main Character

Resolve: Steadfast (Lincoln is steadfast in his pursuit for the truth and his own self-preservation)
Growth: Stop (Lincoln is waiting for everything to stop, the lies, the deception, his friend’s death, and the cloning to shut down; a chip on his shoulder he sees through to the final act)
Approach: Be-er (Lincoln DOES many things and I’m still up in the air about this. I let Dramatica fill in the empty space, so I can only say for this to be a complete story, that Lincoln does more being, than doing as his go-to form of approach. He changes himself, before his environment. He sneaks around before breaking out. Being inquisitive, curious, and questioning his surroundings, he doesn’t force his surroundings to change, so much as changes himself to be what he needs to be in the situation; playing the role of doctor in act 1, and becoming his own sponsor in Act 3; or by putting himself in a different environment)
PS Style: Intuitive (I know right, this just keeps getting better and better. He sees things as part of a whole, in lieu of his own questioning nature that something isn’t “right”, he sees the clues that fit together: Route 36(?) from his box of matches to the road sign, and does/knows things that he has no experience with (driving a motorcycle, skilled artist, knows Latin; dare I say, has intuitive dreams? Sorry, I’m reaching)

OS Plot Dynamics

Driver: Action (Again, I wasn’t too sure; Dramatica fills in the blank. Here goes: The inciting incident is when Lincoln FINDS the Bug. I could argue that it’s when Jordan Two Delta’s picture goes up on screen and wins the lottery as we don’t see how the lottery is decided, but many key points during the film, including character’s dialogue point to the fact that the cause of events that spiral Lincoln into even having the opportunity to break out, would not have happened had he not found the BUG. Proving his own intuition and doubt, that the outside world is not contaminated)
Limit: Optionlock (obvious)
Outcome: Success (they are free)
Judgement: Good (they are happy, alive and together)

Throughlines:

OS: Manipulation (everyone involved is manipulating everyone else. From the facility to manipulating the clones about their world, to the lies about clones not being conscience to the outside world, to Lincoln manipulating the facility so he can sneak around (burned disc, keeping the card, pretending to be a doctor/and later his own sponsor) To the hired Navy Seals pretending to be LAPD, and Lincoln’s sponsor betraying them, but Lincoln plays along, as well as Jordan pretending to be dead in the final act).

MC: Fixed Attitude (He’s in denial, doubtful, not happy with his place; wants more out of life, and believes that they deserve to live)

IC: Situation (Laurent played by Djimon Hounsou. He is HIRED into a situation, where he doesn’t know the whole truth, and at first, doesn’t care. He’s here in the middle of this thing to hunt them down and kill them) - (As Lincoln is STEADFAST, this works perfectly for Laurent to CHANGE. Like Tommy Lee Jones at the end in the Fugitive; please pardon the comparison, his learns about the truth and changes his perspective, and helps to free the clones) - (You might argue that Jordan Two Delta is the IC but she’s really just an extension of Lincoln. They are both on the same journey, and share the same perspective after Act 1. She is more a side-kick, or romance archetype; something of that nature).

**M/I:**Activities (Lincoln/Jordan/Laurent are all involved in activities, and problems not only stem, but escalate from their own under-takings. Lincoln witnesses the facilities murder/making of it’s clones. They escape. Laurent’s men shoot Steve Buschemi which causes his targets to be captured by the police. Laurent is ordered to kill by any means necessary. Their escape causes massive damage. Laurent kills the wrong target. The kidneys probably won’t work anyways. Sean Bean chooses to undergo a recall of all Echo’s causing client concerns?? etc)

I think if you plug all this in everything should fit nicely. Read on if you care to read a further indepth analysis about my thoughts on the storyform, and why Dramatica and I chose the things we chose to better understand the story/or of what’s missing. Thanks!

MORE

Lincoln’s issue is his own Denial
He has a unique ability to Hope (save the clones, we can be free).
Critical flaw is Rationalization (almost gets him caught. He asks too many questions trying to rationalize the facility and his dream, causing the brain scanners, and his trust in his sponsor with the information he was given by Steve Buscemi; albiet that is upended later on, when he realizes “everyone will do what it takes to survive”)
Which puts Conscience as his symptom, which of course he has one. And in response, he is Tempted to eat bacon, to be close to Jordan, to wear a different color, and to know things.
Helping : Jordan causes him problems. He can’t help himself. —> Hinder from being caught.

OS:

Issue: Responsibility (to their clients, their jobs, responsibility for our own lives)
Problem: CONTROL. (Trying to control the clones, by brainwashing them to fear contamination; and believe that the Island is their salvation. Rules are set to keep them in line and create a purpose. They try to control the outbreak. Lincoln wants control over his life.)
Concern/Story Goal: Changing One’s Nature (They want to be free/real humans)
Consequence: Obtaining (Or they will be caught)
Cost: The Future (paid along the way? Future of cloning, the lives of their sponsor’s, moral of society)
Dividend: Innermost Desires (Living out in the real world. Discovering words/emotions/knowledge/sex).

Plot Progression

MC:
Memories (dreams) —> Contemplation(we’re clones?!) ----> Impulsive Responses(driving the bike/I’m the real Tom Lincoln)—>
Innermost Desires (sex/emotional desire to free the clones and have justice on facility)

M/I:
Gathering Information(facility is a lie/clones have escaped)---->
Understanding (omg we are clones)
Doing (escape/fighting back)
Obtaining (the freedom for clones)

etc…

[mlucas]

It’s been a long time since I watched it but I remember LOVING the first half of the film and then HATING the rest of it!

Still, overall I loved it because the beginning was so cool and I had all these great ideas about where the story could go, even though it never really worked out.

So, I think something is broken in the last half and it’s not a complete story, but maybe you could find the storyform based on the “good stuff” and then use the storyform to find out what’s missing – maybe the Concerns changed or the IC role disappeared?

Did you enjoy the entire film or did you notice, as I did, a marked difference in narrative between the “on the island” vs. “off the island” parts?

[Tous]

@mlucas

Still, overall I loved it because the beginning was so cool and I had all these great ideas about where the story could go, even though it never really worked out.

So, I think something is broken in the last half and it’s not a complete story, but maybe you could find the storyform based on the “good stuff” and then use the storyform to find out what’s missing – maybe the Concerns changed or the IC role disappeared?

I couldn’t agree with you more. I remembered it the same EXACT way; which is why I hadn’t watched it ever again until now. It had so much potential, and promise by the set-up, but once they got off the island, it didn’t live up to the promise of the premise. The jokes were there, which I found fun as they explored their misunderstandings, but it wasn’t filled with any kind of self-exploration (excluding the sex scene).

[For instance: They are considered to be CHILDREN. And so, the COMING OF AGE for them would be their own understanding about DEATH, and how that is truly experienced first-hand; and what it would mean to LIVE in the society they were promised, ala The Island (only it’s the real-world). So in short, they can look back at their lives as Clones and become grateful. Almost like, Cypher’s dilemna in wanting to return to the matrix and forget what they know: this could have been where the perspective of the IC grounded itself, by being unable to let go (I’ll come to back this).]

My main reason for the trying to figure out this storyform is also EXACTLY that, trying to figure out what was missing, or scrambled and… I failed. Maybe I am right with the storyform, and that’s how the film should have looked; but I would have to agree that something is missing with the concern or issue or something altogether. The THEME is there, just not explored in the way it was promised in the set-up of ACT 1.

For instance:
If they made Jordan Two Delta the real IC, then I believe she would have a stronger perspective and stronger arc, I mean, she was brainwashed Manchurian Candidate style, how could she have given up that belief so quickly, simply by the stroke of Lincoln’s hand and word of mouth, when everything should be telling her: He’s gone CRAZY. She didn’t have any doubts so why would she go with him? And possibly in that way, forcing her to come with him so he can save her life against her own free-will, there was some journey to be had; some glimpse of her core-essence and return to her old egoic-self – then back again for the denouement. But that just didn’t happen. The story may have been stronger had they done that, with her own understanding, and coming to terms with her own nature, and the outside world.

It’s kind of like the placement of revelations. If it’s EARLY then you can survive, but if it’s TOO LATE then everything becomes overwhelming and doesn’t have time to mature.
The reason Lincoln Six Echo is different is because of his doubtful nature, due to his dreams and accidental transference of ‘memories’ that were imprinted on him during the cloning process.
So he intuitively knows things more than anyone else, which should have played out more with temptation (maybe even more so in the first half, idk) and thus conflicted with Jordan’s more child-like nature and the trauma this would have of realizing that not only is The Island not real, it’s a scary place, and maybe ignorance/not having control over her own life, was better.

Also reminding me of what Chuck Palahnuik says about all the great classics stemming from his own analysis of One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest: One character is killed, one character commits suicide, and one character gets away. Which became a character all rolled into one in Fight Club.

If I had to doctor this, it would definitely be in the area of IC, not saying that the storyform of mine is correct, but close; then the IC can fit more suitably and hold a stronger argument. Was it better to stay not knowing in the Facility, or is it better to live out there as an ADULT on The Island (the real-world).

IC (And what should have been)

Throughline: Situation (Should have been a hostage first/against her will)
Concern: The Future (How will we survive out here? I want to go to The Island)
Issue: Preconception (She is a real woman that won the lottery to The Island; aka, Heaven. When the real world sucks; please plug me back into the matrix)
Problem: Control (Tries to control her life, more so then going along with Lincoln).
Solution: Uncontrolled (Possibly takes her own life, or learns to give into her own nature of being a clone, and her own survival).
Symptom: Help (Problems stem from people trying to help her)
Response: Hinder (she should hinder Lincoln’s efforts more, being placed more as a trickster than side-kick)
Unique Ability: Delay (possibly need more time to come to terms with what she is)
Critical Flaw: Approach (This sets her back every-time she tries to solve a problem, that isn’t in accord with Lincoln, it faults their efforts)

Thanks for reading the analysis Lucas, I honestly felt the same exact way you have about the film, such a dissapointment. But! Really freak’n cool how Dramatica can find out the weak spots once you play around with it and try plugging things in (pretty sure there’s ONE plug I didn’t get right, but not sure where; then again this story is possibly broken and this is how it should have looked).

Cheers!