PERFORMANCE PERSPECTIVES

"Sideways"
WHAT'S IN A STORY?

The elements of story we agree are simple. Beginning, middle, (turning point) end - can it be as simple as that. Of course, a theme is very useful too. But, when it comes to a feature film with over 120 minutes of entertainment then that seems far too naïve an approach.

Recently there have been quite a number of films about writers and 'Sideways' is another. This is not a story about the writing process. It is the story of a wannabe writer who takes his best friend on a tour of California's vineyards as a pre-wedding celebration. It's a substitute for a bucks turn. There is a lot of activity in this film but the plot is essentially very simple. Still grieving over this own marriage break down this is the story of a man who is having trouble making decisions. His journey is to confront his own ineffectiveness and finally make a decision. And by the end of the film he makes two significant decisions. And so his journey and the story are complete.

For the writer as well as the actor its an advantage to have a simple over view of story as it helps keep the overall narrative on course while all the minute detail of the plot is cobbled together. The performances in this film stay consistently on course with a rich believability that is immensely engaging. It's impossible to see any acting. Everyone is just doing it. Although it is a male orientated story the women in this film are fantastic. MARYLOUISE BURKE as Mile's mother, VIRGINIA MADSEN (Maya) and SANDRA OH (Stephenie) as the two romantic interests and JESSICA HECHT as the ex-wife are all outstanding. And the two anti-heroes, PAUL GIAMATTI and THOMAS HAYDEN CHURCH also play blemish free roles - active, playful and strongly coloured they to the job extremely well. The characters are engaging and believable and the story is well-told. The job is done in a very gentle but satisfying way.

Exploring the Theme
In a film about a man who can't make a decision there is bound to be a scene in which he has a conversation that isn't a conversation. In fact there are probably quite a few of these but there is one outstanding example of conversation which appears to be on one topic but which is really about another. It is this kind of storytelling that requires an actor to have a clear understanding of the story. They need to understand that often the evolving story has little to do with what is being said. Actors who are dialogue dependent rather than story dependent will have difficulties with such scenes.

In this case the topic is apparently wine - it starts with Miles specifically talking about Pinot. "Thin skinned temperamental, ripens early," he says. "You know its not a survivor like cabernet. That can just grow anywhere and thrive when its neglected. No, Pinot needs constant care and attention. In fact it can only grow in these really specific regions of the world. And … and only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it. … and oh, its flavours are just the most haunting and brilliant and subtle … ancient on the pallet."

Then, in response to his question, "Why are you into wine?" comes this reply. "Oh, I think … I originally got into wine through my young husband," says Maya. "He had this big show-off style cellar, you know. But then I discovered that I had a really sharp pallet and the more I drank the more I liked what it made me think about."

"Like what?"

"Like what a fraud he was. No I wouldn't. I would like to think about the life of wine. I would like to think about what was going on when the grapes were growing. How the sun was shining. The rain. I liked to think about all the people who tended and picked the grapes … I like how if I open a bottle of wine today it will taste different than on any other day because a bottle of wine is actually alive …"

From the content alone it could be surmised that these are two people discussing wine. But in fact wine is not the subject of the discussion. They are actually talking about themselves. This scene is a story in which he struggles to declare his interest in her but through his interest in wine manages to make a small offer; she responds by accepting the offer and quietly, generously and openly offers herself to him in return. But he is unable to make a decision to accept this generosity and so has to retreat from the invitation and the conversation.

In the simplest of terms this is a seduction scene - he begins awkwardly, she responds openly (the middle), he gets nervous (turning point) and can't follow through (end). This is a classic example of a scene in which the events that unfold have little to do with the dialogue. Here the story is what unfolds between the characters while they are saying the dialogue.

'Sideways' is a story that speaks to its audience because it has something to say about the way we are. It says it through characters that are engagingly created by believable performances. 'Sideways' is well worth a look.

When you view this film …
Give some thought to the overall story structure of the entire film. How simply can you define it? Practicing articulating story structure helps develop the skills of automatically thinking of story in simple terms. Something else that's worth doing.

February 2005

Copyright © The Rehearsal Room 2005. All rights Reserved. www.rehearsalroom.com