Wildlife - The Importance of the Inciting Incident

Directed by Paul Dano

Written by Paul Dano & Zoe Kazan

Starring: Ed Oxenbould, Carey Mulligan, Jake Gyllenhaal, & Bill Camp.

(Spoilers below)

IFC Films

Paul Dano's directorial debut Wildlife demonstrates themes of family separation, adapting to new realities, and being the 'middle man' in tough situations. However instead of diving deep into its themes and messages, I want to pinpoint a key element that's crucial for every film: the inciting incident.

The inciting incident is defined as an event that occurs usually towards the beginning of the film that sets the plot in motion. Prior to the inciting incident, characters are introduced along with their motivations. In Wildlife, Dano and Kazan introduce the characters' interests as well.

Jake Gyllenhaal's character 'Jerry' loses his job and leaves his family to fight an on-going wildfire, to support for his family. After this, Carrey Mulligan's character 'Jeanette' reacts to this in a negative way and her speculations derail her marriage while her husband is away.

This event could've been brief, and brushed off almost instantly. Many films today lack the emotional 'punch' that the inciting incident has on the story, and events told throughout the film attempt to push the story along. Usually, this tactic never truly works unless this is done on purpose. But if it's not purposely done, it's simply lazy writing. Of course it's important to have powerful moments and captivating situations told throughout a film but if it doesn't make an attempt to set up a real-world problem for the characters, you will end up not caring for them or the outcome of the story as much you would want to.

IFC Films

Our main protagonist 'Joe' reacts very similarly to how we, the audience, would react to his situation. Either if it's him wanting his father to come home from the fires, or seeing his mother kiss another man who isn't his father. Joe, for the most part, changes throughout the story (as he should). What makes his character so special is that he doesn't burst out his emotions and gives big "character moment" speeches. When key events transpire in the story, he is unsure what to do much like how we are with the film and sometimes remains mute. As an example once Joe sees his mother sharing an intimate moment with Bill Camp's character 'Mr. Miller', he has the capability to drive away from the house (eventually ending the scene). But he remains in the car, shocked and unsure about what to do next. The audience would expect Joe to drive away and leave his mother, but due to the film's inciting incident, we understand how close he is with both of his parents. If Joe drives off, he has nowhere to go. His mother is all he has at that moment, and wouldn't want to leave her. This makes Joe a more relatable character and credits his actions as well. If we didn't get a clear set up and change in the story's direction at the beginning of the film, we wouldn't comprehend his actions for not leaving his mother with Mr. Miller.

Making the inciting incident clear and understandable, the characters are then given reasons to act and react the way they do. Jeannette's affair would not make clear sense without knowledge of how climacteric the event that motivated those decisions. Jerry leaves to help support his family, Jeannette fears of being alone, and Joe wants his old life back without any changes being made to it.

The basic formula for a screenplay at first glance could seem, well, formulaic. But following this formula with a creative and unique approach can make-or-break your film entirely. Wildlife did exactly that and gave us real-life characters with real-world problems that everyday people can face at any time. That's what makes Paul Dano's film so important, and what makes the inciting incident the most important element to any screenplay.

IFC Films

Wildlife is rated PG-13 for thematic material including a sexual situation, brief strong language, and smoking. It's currently available on iTunes.

Sources:

http://jakegyllenhaals.tumblr.com/post/174201539992/pablolarrain-wildlife-2018-dir-paul-dano

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wildlife_2018

https://www.nownovel.com/blog/inciting-incident/