All is (NOT) Lost -- End of 2nd Act Turning Points

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The other day read on a message board some wannabe screenwriter refer to the End of 2^nd Act Turning Point as the “all is lost point.” If you knew me personally, you would know how much I had to restrain myself. I knew right away where the person got this term. From that damn Save the Cat book. (Be forewarned that if I ever catch anyone using one of Blake Synder's cutsie-poo phrases in my presence as if they were actual screenwriting parlance, they should expect to receive a verbal smack upside the head.) This incident illustrates the exact reason why I have a problem with Synder's books. They not only encourage formulaic, cook-book style writing, but mislead young writers into thinking that there is only one way to do things. Even though, on average, the Dark Moment (as it is more commonly called by professional screenwriters) is the most common way to end second acts in recent Hollywood films, it is not by even the smallest margin the only way to end the act. There are in fact multiple well-established methods to bring the penultimate act to a dramatic close, all depending on the needs of the particular story.

1. The Dark Moment

a. Variety #1: Dark Moment/Spark of Hope

A Dark Moment alone is not enough to bring a 2^nd Act to an end and launch the action of the 3^rd. Acts end with a two-part structure. There is first the end-of-act climax (the outcome of the conflict that ends the act). This is then followed by an end-of-act turning point (an event that allows (or forces) a new path for the protagonist to take to reach the main Story Goal). Sometimes the turning point is created by the outcome of the climax, meaning that the events are one and the same. But more often, they occur as two separate events, occurring one after the other.

If a story resolves in an up-ending, that is, a “happy” ending where the hero succeeds in the end, the Dark Moment that ends the 2^nd Act must be immediately followed by a Spark of Hope. If “all is lost” and that's all there is to it, there is nothing to provide the motivation to launch the protagonist into the 3^rd Act. After all, all is still lost. The conflict seems to be resolved in the hero's disfavor, and the hero has nothing to do but mope around and feel sorry for him/herself. The Spark of Hope is an event where the character and audience learns that the hero still has a chance. Something happens that gives the hero has one last shot of overcoming the conflict and reaching a happy end. 

The Matrix ends its 2^nd Act with the protagonist Neo in the worst situation possible. He and his allies have been betrayed and his mentor Morpheus captured by the Agents. Neo knows that the antagonist will torture Morpheus until he gives up information that will spell the quick end of all they have fought for. He is left with only the worst possible option -- to pull the plug on his mentor and kill him before this can happen.

However, this gloom is quickly reversed with a Spark of Hope. Rather than give up, Neo decides to take on the impossible odds to rescue Morpheus. He chooses hope over failure. This is the moment which launches the story into its final act.

The Spark of Hope should create a quick reversal of emotion in the audience. The situation was extremely negative, then suddenly positive. Such quick ups and downs creates the famous “roller-coaster” experience. All sequence-ending turning points should get some power from a reversal of emotions (a change from positive to negative, or vice versa), but this reversal is especially important at the end of the 2^nd Act. As the story heads into the 3^rd Act, the act that is supposed to contain the exciting resolution of the Story Spine, the story needs MOMENTUM. The story needs the sharpest drop possible in the emotional roller-coaster. The bigger the emotional reversal, the more momentum which begins the third act.

This is by far the most popular way to end a 2^nd Act, and can be found in countless films, from Braveheart to Slingblade to Knocked Up. In fact, it has become so common that it has taken on the label of a cliché. Go to the theater and watch 10 movies. I guarantee that at least half of them have chosen to go with the Dark Moment/Spark of Hope.

b. Variety #2: The Nail in the Coffin

(Note that these are self-invented terms. Like all those Synder-isms, you shouldn't go around using them as if they were official scriptspeak because people will not know what you're talking about.)

The Dark Moment/Spark of Hope is found mostly in movies with up-endings as a means to fuel a rooting desire for the protagonist as he or she enters the ultimate test which is the third act. In contrast, the Nail in the Coffin is found exclusively in stories with down-endings -- usually stories of self-destructive protagonists who bring their own ruin. Examples include Raging Bull, Citizen Kane, and There Will Be Blood. These stories feature anti-heroes who end up in failure or misery due to their inability to overcome their character flaws. These second acts end with the protagonist committing an unwise (or even unconscionable) action that seals their eventual doom by eliminating any possibility for redemption. In all three of the above examples, the Nail in the Coffin occurs by way of the protagonist willfully severing the last connection he has to a sympathetic friend or supporter. There is no spark of hope for these characters because they do not deserve any. But no Spark of Hope means no reversal of audience emotion. Typically, this creates a 3^rd Act dramatically weaker than the previous variety as the audience watches the protagonist's dreary life circle the drain toward an inevitable failure.

2. The False Victory

A False Victory is very similar to the Dark Moment/Spark of Hope, except its two events have the opposite emotional charge. With a False Victory, the protagonist wins the conflict that ends the second act. Act 2B of Raiders of the Lost Ark ends with Indiana Jones successfully stealing the Ark back from the Nazis. Hooray! The audience receives a brief emotional high. It seems like things will turn out okay. But not so fast. The end-of-act climax is followed by a turning point that renders the victory meaningless. The antagonist (or whatever the source of the story conflict) has taken a NEW action that throws a huge new roadblock in the hero's way. Indiana Jones's journey home is intercepted by a Nazi submarine and the Ark is stolen back. The protagonist's once certain victory is now again in doubt. The hero must ready him/herself for a new fight: the battle that will climax at the story's end.

The False Victory is also a good choice for stories with sympathetic heroes that meet a tragic end. These 2^nd Acts end with the story at its highest emotional point. But this victory is followed by a turning point that abruptly puts the situation in reverse. Act 2B of Brazil ends with the hero on the top of the world. He was won over his dream girl and seemingly escaped the nightmare of his existence. But, not so fast. Just as the hero finds his happiness, the authorities invade his home and take him into custody.

3. The Key Piece of the Puzzle

This type of end-of-act turning point is often found in stories containing a high element of mystery.
Up until this moment, a key piece of information has been kept hidden from the protagonist (and usually the audience as well). When this key piece is finally revealed, it changes EVERYTHING. It changes our perception of the story we have already seen, and more importantly, it changes the hero's actions from that point onward, dramatically altering the conflict that will decide the story's end.

Alien's 2^nd Act closes when the crew discovers that their employer intentionally sent them on a mission to bring the monster aboard the ship. In The Bourne Identity, Jason Bourne finally discovers who is trying to kill him and why. In Memento, the audience learns that Natalie has been setting up Leonard the whole time. In Casablanca, Ilsa reveals that she is still in love with Rick.

Chinatown provides the best example. Detective Jake Gittes has come to suspect Mrs. Mulwray of killing her own husband. He also believes Mulwray has kidnapped her husband's mistress with the plan of killing her too. However, when Gittes confronts her, he discovers that he couldn't be more wrong. The girl is Mrs. Mulwray's secret daughter, the product of incestuous rape by the antagonist. Mulwray's husband was murdered for trying to protect the daughter. Everything changes for Gittes after this moment.

4. The Launch of the Final Plan

Back to the Future's 2^nd Act ends this manner, as does the 2^nd Act of Star Wars. The heroes have overcome their end-of-act battle, for better or worse, and now devise an ultimate plan, one huge final effort to that will hopefully overcome the conflict and seize their story goal. The 3^rd Act begins with the launch of this plan into motion. Out of the four common types of turning points discussed in this article, this last variety generally launches the 3^rd Act with the least dramatic momentum due to its general lack of an emotional reversal. However, a tense and exciting third act is still possible as long as conflict continues to escalate and the master plan never goes exactly as the heroes wish. After all, nothing is less interesting than when everything goes according to the plan.

Despite its lack of an emotional reversal, the use of a Launch of the Final Plan does not denote an inferior film. Some of the most critically acclaimed films of all time use this type of turning point, such as The Godfather (the death of Michael Corleone's father gives him the opportunity to finally destroy his family's rivals), Lawrence of Arabia (the march to Damascus) and Schindler's List (the creation of the list). All that matters is how well the turning point is executed and how appropriate this type of turning point is for the course of the particular story.

These are the four most commonly used methods, but they are not the only ways to bring a 2^nd Act to a dramatic end. Though they are difficult to find, plenty of movies contain effective 2^nd Act turning points that do not fit into any of these categories. No Country For Old Men ends its 2^nd Act with the antagonist offering an ultimatum to the hero and the hero rejecting it. Though it may seem abnormal, this event is just as effective in launching the action of its story's 3^rd Act as any of the more popular methods. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Upon revising this article, I now realize that the rejection of ultimatum which ends the Act 2B of No Country may be labeled a "Nail in the Coffin." 3/20)

The point is that a writer must choose a way to end the 2^nd Act that best serves the needs of their unique story. Blindly forcing an “all is lost” point onto your story can end up damaging it, since your story may not be the type that would benefit from such a moment. The rules of screencraft must not be followed rigidly and applied blindly to any and every story. Instead, screencraft must remain flexible to the needs of the particular story. Every story has its own unique needs. Adapt the rules to the story and not the story to the rules. Unless you're the type of writer who wants your story to be generic, predictable, and read like something out of a cookbook. If that's the case, then by all means continue saving cats.