Blog Post #13- Todorovs Linear Narrative Theory and Application

When the events of films occur there are times when they are in chronological order but some films portray events that do not reside within a chronological order. Todorov created the theory that the most common form of a story being told within a film is through a linear narrative. This linear narrative that he came up with separated the structure of a narrative into the equilibrium, disequilibrium, and new equilibrium.

The equilibrium is the start of the film where the characters are portrayed during their normal day to day lifestyle. The disequilibrium is separated into 3 parts which are disruption, recognition, and repair. The disruption of the disequilibrium is when an event within the film impacts the characters in either a negative or positive way. The recognition part is when the characters of the film realize that this event has occurred. The final part of disequilibrium is when the characters try to repair the impact that the disruption has had to fix the issue. The new equilibrium of a film is where the solution to the disequilibrium has been found and the characters are now continuing with their lives. 

For my film, I will be utilizing the information from Todorovs linear narrative theory for the purpose of making the structure of my film chronological and so the film can make more sense to the audience. The equilibrium of my film will be the main character and his friends committing actions that are illegal which is not an uncommon occurrence for them. The disruption of my film will be that the friend group will be be very close to being caught by the cops which could have a large and negative impact on their futures. The recognition within my film will be when the main character realizes that these actions have consequences and that he cant keep making these bad decisions. The repair will be the main character slowly disassociating himself from his old friends and trying to make new friends with people who make better choices and actually care for him. The new equilibrium will then be the main character living a life filled with better decisions and good friends that will ultimately lead him on a better path of life.