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?

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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 kathirein, which means to cleanse or purge.

The term was popularized by the Greek philosopher Aristotle in his seminal work, Poetics.

The philosopher primarily examined 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.

Hunch, mayor.

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 kin?

But Debbie's your blood kin.

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 seven.

Where Somerset tells Mills that he shouldn't shoot John Doe.

"- Give me the gun, David.

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 unaware of the consequences until it's too late.

Old boy utilizes this option.

Desus falls in love with a woman.

But he doesn't know what to do.

A cruel twist of fate and part of an even crueler act of revenge.

We are strongly encouraged to pity Desus which is the exact goal of true catharsis.

"- Uncle, what's wrong with you?

I'm so sorry.

I didn't mean to hurt you.

I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to hurt you.

I didn't mean to hurt you.

I didn't mean to hurt you.

I didn't mean to hurt you.

Uncle, here.

I put a box here.

He told me to open it.

It's purple like it was then.

No!

No!

No, Mido.

No, no, no.

Don't open it.

Don't open it.

If you open it, you'll be in trouble.

Don't even touch it, okay?

What's this?

You know, right?

Mido.

Mido, hold on a little longer.

Okay?

I'll be right there.

I'll be right there."

And finally, there is unknowingly and stopped.

Where a character doesn't realize they are 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.

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 dire 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're 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.

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 and smear the sleepy grooms with blood.

I'll go no more.

I'm afraid to think what I have done.

Look on to get night.

I dare not.

Infirm of purpose.

Give me the daggers."

Catharsis can also be emphasized 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**k with me, all right?

Don't f**k 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.

I could have got more.

I don't know if I just...

I could have got more.

Oscar, there are 1,100 people who are alive because of you.

Look at them.

You have no idea.

If I just...

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.

♪