This is the start of a potentially ongoing series of screenplay breakdowns. I’m horrible at preserving notes and it seems futile to let such good reading erode into memory. So here’s my analysis of Thelma & Louise (1991), our screenplay for the April 27 session of The Screenwriting Club.
Written By: Callie Khouri
Nominated for 6 Academy Awards, Thelma & Louise was the recipient of Best Original Screenplay. Both Geena Davis & Susan Sarandon were nominated for Best Actress, a clear recognition of their achievement in this film.
I think the awards anecdote is the perfect way to look at the characters in the screenplay. This is a story of friendship. Both Thelma & Louise are protagonists and yet their arcs are distinct and pivotal to the plot of the film. Thelma’s experience is indeed crucial to the film and without it, the story in its current form ceases to exist.
In the first two scenes, both Thelma & Louise are introduced with such specificity and vivid detail that we immediately understand who they are, and their responses to plot situations will make complete sense to us.
The characters - who they are, and their life situations, become clear to us in the next 3-4 pages. Thelma is anxious about their fishing trip and is over-preparing. She doesn’t get to do things like this. Louise appears to be more at ease and detached, as we can see from both her appearance and her home. But the trip is as important to Thelma as it is to Louise.
The screenplay is a result of characters and incidents dovetailing elegantly.
Thelma was stripped of her agency years ago and the incident further robs her of it. Thelma’s journey, therefore, becomes one where she can reclaim her agency in the manner that befits her. She acts on her attraction to J.D., which essentially catalyzes her character to change. She rallies Louise and robs the convenience store when they need money to survive their journey to Mexico and saves them from the cop. Thelma’s journey is about being alive and awake to the possibilities ahead.
Her journey contrasts interestingly with Louise's. Where Thelma no longer has a reason to stay, Louise finally gets hers. The motel pit stop brings about a shift in both characters. This is where J.D and Thelma sleep together, and where Jimmy, Louise’s commitment-phobic boyfriend finally proposes to her. Louise’s resolve falters bit by bit, in the face of all the adversity ahead. The determination with which she gets them out of the Silver Bullet is lost in the larger context of their journey until Thelma puts things in perspective.
The characters are so carefully and intentionally crafted. They change/grow/evolve in such real and specific ways. While Thelma’s journey involves a bigger transformation, Louise’s journey is also extremely powerful. In an almost imperceptible way, Louise doesn’t want to run away, she wants to accept what has happened to her, and that wouldn’t have been possible if her only objective was to take charge of their situation. Helping Thelma permits Louise to not help herself.
Thelma takes charge of the narrative from basically the midpoint and becomes the driving force of the rest of the screenplay. There’s greater clarity in her thought, and decisiveness in her actions. It’s masterfully done and conveyed beautifully by Louise.
You've always been crazy. This is just the first chance you've had to really express yourself.
Is there a more profound way to describe another person? You tell me.
Thelma and Louise is a great reference for writing characters that undergo a significant change which is both organic and effective.
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