Moonlight Mile is a family drama about a young man who by
trying to do the right thing ends up taking the path of least resistance and makes a tragic
situation even more tragic ... until he sets everything right.
Structural Analysis
Hook
The morning of a funeral. A young woman was accidentally murdered.
Complication
The protagonist is a young man, the victim's fiance, staying in the home of her
parents shortly before the scheduled wedding.
Call to Action
A passive call, the young man goes along with the father-in-law making him a partner
in his real estate business, the plan when the young woman was alive. We learn of an active
call later, that the young man has decided to keep from the parents that there was going to be
no wedding, they had broken up.
Act One Plot Point
The young man is in the world of the "father-in-law," trying to please him. He meets
a woman who interests him.
Midpoint Plot Point
He sleeps with the woman -- and the mother figures out that there was going to be no wedding.
However, the young man must continue the charade by attending the trial of the fiance's
murderer. He remains for appearances but stops seeing the woman who interests him.
Act Two Plot Point
He has to testify to save the case and paint a rosy picture of his life and future with
the victim. He tries but can't go through with it. Everything looks over with the woman.
Climax and Resolution
He tells the truth on the stand -- and forces the parents to live in the present. He
woos the woman back, and they leave town together.
Notes
Directed a bit too artily for my tastes, full of visual moods. The story is a good one, the
acting excellent, and the structure solid if more subtle than in most movies.
MODULE 4: SCREENWRIGHT: the craft of screenwriting