The 3-Act Paradigm at Work: Dead Man Walking
written by Tim Robbins
Dead Man Walking is a rich drama about the
relationship between a nun and a man on death row. It's about the growing
human bond between two unlikely friends, about the healing power of love.
Structural Analysis
- Hook (2-6 min.)
- Sister Helen replies to a letter from Matthew, a man on death row,
by visiting him. She's never been in a prison before. "Do you know what
you're getting into?" the chaplain asks. Clearly she doesn't.
- Complication (12 min.)
- Matthew immediately claims his innocence and gets Sister Helen
to file an appeal for him.
- Call to Action (16-7 min.)
- Matthew needs a lawyer, more help from her. She decides to get
involved in his case. "Try not to worry," she tells him. And she gets
him a lawyer who will try to save Matthew from death row.
- Act One Plot Point (31-4 min.)
- The appeal is turned down, clemency is denied. Now Matthew wants
her to "ride into the sunset" with him, to become his spiritual advisor.
She is more involved than ever and now will spend time with him right
up to the end.
- Midpoint Plot Point (52, 60 min.)
- Sister Helen visits the victims, parents of a girl Matthew raped
and killed, and they think she has "changed sides." When they learn she
hasn't, they are outraged and kick her out. Sister Helen becomes more and
more isolated by her association with a killer. Morever, the stakes for
her are raised when she learns he is a white supremist who admires Hitler.
In a flashback (60 min.),
we see Matthew reluctant at the crime scene, while his partner kills one
of the two victims. Is he innocent after all?
- Act Two Plot Point (89 min.)
- The time of execution approaches. All paths to save his life
are closed now. In the bathroom, Sister Helen almost loses it and prays
to God to give her strength to go through with this, with giving comfort
to Matthew in his final hours.
- Climax and Resolution (94, 110-1 min.)
- Before being led away, Matthew admits he killed the boy and raped
the girl. He was too chicken to stand up to his older partner, the
ringleader. Matthew's last words are to Sister Helen, "I love you,"
which she mouthes back. For the first time, he takes responsibility for
his actions. At his funeral, one of the parents shows up, "I don't know
why," and Sister Helen wonders if they can help one another find a way
out of all the hate.
Notes
Dead Man Walking uses "the ticking clock" device as the execution
draws ever near. As Sister Helen moves along her journey, the stakes keep
getting raised, until finally she has to say in frustration, "You don't make
it easy to help you." She and her faith are on trial as much as Matthew.
Flashbacks are developed along the journey in a teasing way, at first
suggesting that Matthew may be innocent after all, which of course raises
the stakes concerning his appeals. The emotional tension in the story
escalates throughout until the final resolution in confession, redemption,
and love.
MODULE 4:
SCREENWRIGHT: the craft of screenwriting
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