Todorov's Theory

Todorov's Narrative Theory  basically states the majority of narratives mostly follow these five stages:

Stage 1 - Equilibrium = the setting is established, key characters are introduced, storyline is set up.

Stage 2 - Disruption = Oppositional characters appear, story takes a particular direction.

Stage 3 - Recognition of disruption = lives of characters and events interweave, tension builds.

Stage 4 - Attempt to repair disruption = highest point of tension, change in dynamic follows.

Stage 5 - Reinstatement of equilibrium = matters sorted out, problems solved, questions answered.

We individually planned out a narrative that complies with Todorov's Theory. Mine has a slight difference at the beginning as it launches almost immediately into the action. It goes something like this:

Stage 1 = Protagonist witnesses gang beating individual to death and gang sees protagonist watching. Gang decides to hunt them down.

Stage 2 = Protagonist goes on the run to escape gang hunting protagonist down. Police gets involved and protagonist leaves subtle clues to the police.

Stage 3 = Protagonist gets captured by gang and held to ransom. Police hunts down gang from evidence collected by protagonist and from ransom video.

Stage 4 = Time has run out. Police burst in as protagonist is shot (using shot reverse shot to build tension). Everything goes dark and silent as the protagonist is shot.

Stage 5 = The beep of a life support machine. Protagonist wakes up in hospital and finds out gang is caught and everything is okay now.

This is the scenario we are going with is written below. It is Sophie's idea.

Stage 1 = A man is released from a mental asylum after serving time for murder. And takes a very uncomfortable walk back to his house

Stage 2 = The man notices that nobody remembers who he is or what he has done.

Stage 3 = The man goes to the library and looks up the murder that he committed, but the newspaper article he reads identifies the killing as a suicide.

Stage 4 = The man goes on a mission to try and find out what has been happening and why nothing is as he remembers it

Stage 5 = At the end of the film, we learn that the man was never released from the mental asylum, he has just been moved to a move secure unit because his state of mental health has deteriorated and no one is able to help him anymore.