I am not a movie critic. Typically, I limit myself to observing how a story is constructed, rather than editorializing on it. In this case, however, I have to break my own rule.
Workshopping Act IIb this week of “Wild,” I noticed that her Epiphany is delayed until the very end of Act III. All of Act IIb concerns itself with the Dark Night of the Soul. Cheryl’s mother dies. Cheryl gets addicted to heroin. Cheryl engages in more dubious sexual activity. Cheryl almost gets raped. Cheryl tells the Saints to “Go to Hell.” My writers and I discussed this and agreed that the darkness goes on a bit too long, and also, the Epiphany comes way too late.
In the last four minutes of the film, Cheryl completes her journey to the Bridge of the Gods. She tells us in voiceover that in the future, she gets married and has children. Kinda sudden!
Several of my writers said they found her unlikable. Checking back with my “Four Traits of a Hero” guideline, it’s clear that Cheryl falls short of my Number One Rule: All Heroes Care About Others.
All this aside, the film has much to say about the value of flashbacks in constructing a good story.