- Relax. Take a deep breath. - A deep breath in is
followed by a breath out. In storytelling, the inhale is the
build-up to the ultimate climax. - Great shot, kid. That
was one in a million. - And the exhale
is the catharsis. - Why is this distinct narrative
experience so important? And how can a writer achieve it? This is 'What Is Catharsis'? Before we get our sense of
release, subscribe to StudioBinder and click the bell to stay updated
on all our filmmaking videos. Tragically, we will be
spoiling the following movies. Time to inhale. Catharsis is the purification
or purging of emotions typically associated with a work of art. It comes from the Greek word 'kathairen',
which means to cleanse or purge. The term was popularized by
the Greek philosopher Aristotle, in his seminal work, 'Poetics'.

The philosopher primarily examined to catharsis in the context of tragedies, where the plot must imitate actions arousing fear and pity. To Aristotle, this expulsion of negative emotions brought on by catharsis would leave the audience feeling happier. I look forward to a good cry. Feels pretty good. This, argued the philosopher, is why tragedies were both important for society and popular among audiences. Of course, catharsis is subjective. An ending may be extremely cathartic for one person and completely emotionless for someone else. I did not care for 'The Godfather'. What? Did not care for the Godfather. How can you even say that, Dad? In this video, however, we'll focus on catharsis in narratives. Today, narrative catharsis is widely understood as the release of emotions or emotional response to the end of any type of story.

Not just tragedy. Think of Sam and Annie finally
meeting in 'Sleepless in Seattle'. Or the emotional reunion of Jamal
and Latika in 'Slumdog Millionaire'. But first, let's look at catharsis
in its traditional context. Tragedy. Aristotle outlines four ways that
catharsis can be created in a tragedy. He utilizes two axes, knowingly
and unknowingly, and completed or stopped at the final moment. The philosopher argues that some
of these four quadrants are better than others at
eliciting catharsis. The least effective, he argues, is when
a character is acting knowingly and stops. In other words, the
character is fully aware of their actions and the consequences. But they end up not
going through with it. According to Aristotle, this is an idle
threat and the audience reads it as such. - These are my people. Go. Go, Martin, please. - Stand aside, Martin.

- In 'The Searchers', Ethan would rather kill his own niece Debbie than see her living as a Comanche. - What do you mean you don't have any blood, kid? But Debbie's your bride, Ken. - Not no more, she ain't. - Well, you can keep your will. - He pursues this murderous task. But at the last minute, he stops himself. The tragedy is avoided. And the audience might feel relieved. - Let's go home, Debbie. - But this turn of events leaves little room for real catharsis. Next is knowingly and completed. When a character knows what they are doing is wrong, but they do it anyway. - I took a souvenir. Her pretty head. - This can be found in 'Se7en'. Where Somerset tells Mills that he shouldn't shoot John Doe. - Give me the gun, David. If you kill him, he will win.

- But Mills does it anyway. - This brings us to
Aristotle's second-best option. Unknowingly and completed. In this scenario, a character
sees through an action. You know. Unaware of the consequences. Until it's too late. - 'Oldboy' utilizes this option. Dae-su falls in
love with a woman. Only to later find out that
she is, in fact, his daughter. A cruel twist of fate. And part of an even
crueler act of revenge. We are strongly
encouraged to pity Dae-su. Which is the exact
goal of true catharsis. And finally, there is
unknowingly and stopped. Where a character doesn't
realize they're about to cause harm but they stop themselves. According to Aristotle, this ending
has the highest cathartic potential. Because it leaves room for a character
to reflect on what they were about to do. In 'Batman v Superman', the
climactic fight between the two heroes is

about to reach a
fatal conclusion. But Superman's final plea
breaks through Batman's rage. - You're letting
him kill Martha. - The evocation of his mother's name
sends up strong painful memories. And when he learns
the truth Batman yields. - Please, stop. - Why did you say that name? - It's his mother's name. It's his mother's name. - He realizes they share a common
enemy and joins forces to end the real threat to humanity. All four Catharsis
types can be powerful. It all depends on the
story you want to tell. Of course, catharsis doesn't
only come from doubt endings. It can also be found
in moments of triumph. Most mainstream films
have relatively happy endings. The key to making these happy
endings cathartic lies in resolving the primary tension
of the narrative. - After careful consideration, I've
decided not to endorse your park.

- So have I. - The source of this
tension may be obvious, as it is in 'When
Harry Met Sally'. - We are just going
to be friends, okay? - Great, friends.
It's the best thing. - The tension in the film is that Harry and
Sally are never able to figure out how to move their relationship
past friendship. - Oh, I think it's great
that you have a date. - You do?
- Yeah. - And so the catharsis comes
when they finally do that. - What does this song mean? My whole life, I don't
know what this song means. - Anyway, it's
about old friends. - But sometimes the
resolution is less expected. - Why'd you do it?
- I didn't, since you asked. - You gonna fit right in. - In 'The Shawshank Redemption', Andy spends
most of the film trying to escape prison.

So one might think the main source of
catharsis would be when he's finally free. But the true cathartic moment
is when he and Red reunite. It is their friendship that
truly powers the narrative. And thus, catharsis must
be rooted in that relationship. Catharsis can also turn potentially
tragic endings into triumphant ones. In 'Gladiator',
Maximus is killed. But the film signals that he
has finally achieved peace. He is reunited with his wife
and son, and the reforms he has fought for may be enacted. Similarly, a lack of catharsis can
make the audience question if the ending is, in fact, triumphant. In 'Blade Runner', Deckard's mission
is to retire the replicant Roy Batty. He achieves this goal, but Batty's
emotional monologue deflates any victorious catharsis and instead suggests
this ending may, in fact, be tragic.

- All those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain. - As 'Blade Runner' illustrates,
the use of catharsis can color how an audience interprets
what preceded it. Let's look at how you can craft your
own catharsis with some writing tips. Of course, there is no
one way to create catharsis. But in the simplest terms,
catharsis is made up of two parts. The setup and the payoff. The setup for catharsis is
the vast majority of a narrative. It builds the emotions in the audience
that are eventually released at the end. 'Sleepless in Seattle' has
a very clear setup device. Its two protagonists never directly
interact for most of the film's runtime. But the audience sees they
are perfect for each other. This makes their connection at the
end of the film all the more cathartic. An effective payoff, meanwhile,
must build on the setup, giving

the story a sense of closure. As we've seen, this is either
through overcoming an obstacle or being stricken by tragedy. In 'Titanic', James Cameron delivers a
multi-pronged catharsis that manages to have both
tragedy and triumph. Jack and Rose overcome the odds
stacked against them to become lovers. But the victory is fleeting. And the tragedy
subsequently strikes. A catharsis also
relies on stakes. For the audience to be moved
emotionally, it needs to know why the triumph or tragedy matters. - I suppose you've given some thought to
the notion that if you lose, our government will have directly
financed terrorism. - Triumphs often require great
effort to achieve, against all odds. True underdog stories. In tragedies, the stakes
are often life or death, addiction, or lost love. A character arc can
also help create catharsis. For triumphs, this is when a
character has a positive arc.

Like 'Rocky', building the resilience
to go 15 rounds with Creed. We are moved by Rocky's
hard-earned success. For tragedies, this is typically
when a character has a negative arc. In 'Macbeth', the lust for
power leads the title character down a murderous path to ruin. - Why did you bring these
daggers from the place? They must lie there,
go carry them instead. - I'll go no more. I'm afraid
to think what I have done. Look on it again, I dare not. - Catharsis can also be emphasised
by showing how a character is moved by the cathartic event. In 'Miracle', the triumphant
victory is underscored by the characters and
crowd celebrating. If we empathize with a character and
they reach a moment of catharsis, it might inspire our own
emotional cleansing. - It's not your fault. - Don't f*ck with me, all right?
Don't f*ck with me, Sean. Not you.

- It's not your fault.
- In 'Good Will Hunting', Will's breakdown
with Sean is clearly cathartic for him, and potentially for
the audience as well. But a character's reaction can
also complicate a movie's catharsis. In 'Schindler's List', Schindler succeeds
in his mission to save many of his workers, but his reaction reminds us that this
small victory is nothing in comparison to the exponentially
larger tragedy. - I could have
got more out of it. I could have got more. Oskar, there are eleven
hundred people who are alive because of you. Look at them. - You have no idea. - There will be generations
because of what you did. - I didn't do enough. - You did so much. - The elements of an effective
catharsis can feel ineffable, because a great catharsis is
something greater than words. Catharsis is a large part of what
makes storytelling so powerful.

It can move us to feel emotions
we may not typically feel. Now, I'm gonna go back inside and
finish watching 'Sleepless in Seattle'. Nobody, screw with me! And, as Aristotle argues,
it can even prompt us to feel differently in our
everyday lives. Catharsis begins
in the screenplay. Start writing with StudioBinder's
pre-production tools, which include everything from screenwriting
to storyboard software. Until next time, make your
audience feel something.

Every Great Story’s Secret Weapon — Catharsis Explained

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