How a Character Descends into Madness

This video essay analyzes how movie characters descend into madness. There are twelve common trends notice that get demonstrated in this video for any aspiring writer or producer if they want to make a loner movie or a movie about someone losing their mind.

Sources: The Shining (1980), Taxi Driver (1976), The King of Comedy (1982), Fatal Attraction (1987), Requiem for a Dream (2000), Mother! (2017), Black Swan (2010), Falling Down (1993), Joker (2019), The Machinist (2004)

FAIR USE NOTICE:
Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made "fair use" for the purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.

Timestamps:
0:00 Character's Goal
2:50 Media Idealism vs Reality Conflict
6:00 Physical Decay
8:18 The Last Straw
9:44 Closing Statement

Music used:
Sunny Days by Anno Domini Beats
Doll Dancing by Puddle of Infinity
Zodiac Structures by NoMBe
Cumbia City by An Jone
"Art of Silence - by Uniq" is under a Creative Commons license (Creative Commons – International Recognition 4.0 – CC BY 4.0)
&
Habanera (by Bizet) by Bizet (Youtube Audio Library)
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0

#joker #taxidriver #theshining

[hououinkyouma]

In isolation, there's no one to keep your wildest thoughts in check

[jonvia]

What's really scary is these characters are just like us. Maybe you get fired from a job, maybe the girl rejects you, maybe you cant get a decent night sleep. Very simple situations, yet can make a person go totally mad, especially if things keep going down hill for them and they are mentally or emotionally unstable to begin with. Shows how fragile the mind of a human really is and shows we need to respect one another or people will take it out in unhealthy ways.

[jotunfalls]

I think what makes Joker special to me and the most realistic is that he actually seeks out help, he's on medication but because the system is falling he can't get his medication anymore which leads into him worsening and worsening.

[perochialjoe]

I just watched Joker for the first time two days ago and I have to say that it really was probably one of the most grounded "descent into madness" stories ever done. Great video!

[lanibird]

1. The Goal 0:55
2. The Character 1:49
3. The Media 2:51
4. Personality Conflict 3:35
5. Rewarded for Something Else 4:52
6. Create Sympathy 5:33
7. Physical Decay 5:59
8. Staying Social 6:55
9. The Delusions 7:38
10. The Last Straw 8:18
11. Shedding Identity 8:53
12. The Inevitable 9:25
Hope this helps!

[briangonigal]

One movie that kept popping up in my mind during this video was Nightcrawler, except there's one big difference with that film in that Louis Bloom's isolation & warped worldview doesn't lead to his destruction at the end but to massive success. He achieves all his goals and is thriving, running a fleet of newsvans, seemingly because his nihilistic, sociopathic view of the world proves to be largely accurate in the end and so he's handsomely rewarded for his very worst tendencies. This makes Nightcrawler in it's own way more disturbing than even The Shining. (Note: there's at least a faint echo of this also in the end of Taxi Driver, as the camera pans across a wall of clipped news stories hailing Travis Bickel as a hero for his final violent rampage and the film ends with him right back behind the wheel of his taxi, presumably a more dangerous ticking time bomb than ever.)

[jamiekuryla]

I love Falling Down, its one of my favorite movies, I think it was one of Michael Douglas's best works, need to watch some of those.

[elithelonewolf]

You've just described my whole life

[PurplePinkRed]

This was brilliantly done! It's easy to see it when you point it out, but it can be harder to see the subtle signs of progression into madness whilst watching, especially early in the movie.

[decb]

Tough break with the copyright claims! Definitely worth joining your patreon if keeps these video essays coming 🤙

[pablojoaquin]

Your channel is amazing man. Keep up the quality videos, it's great that you don't rush them, and the effort is noticeable

[berizont]

Nice analysis, I liked the movie selection. Halfway through I realized, how seldom people talk about Requiem for a Dream. One of my favorites, gets me every time.

[ashleightompkins]

I'd say another candidate for this video wouls have been Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard. She's completely obsessed with her former self, always prepping and insisting that her come back is right around the corner that she can't stand it when her delusion is finally, whole-heartedly rejected. In the end, she kills Joe, her last link to potential stardom and loses herself in her madness but gives the performance of a lifetime

[Seasonal-Shadow_]

I really like Benjamin Pointdexter’s descent into Madness in Daredevil Season 3, too bad it never paid off

[willieearles]

Great video. I always enjoy your video essays.

[PauloRicardo-boqk]

Uploaded right on time as I take my lunch break. That is perfect.

[Archivist]

These are great examples. After watching I was left thinking of Apocalypse Now showing multiple descents into madness (societal too..)

[MrDrezzy]

Requiem for a dream is a movie i watched once years ago but still burned into my mind. What an experience!!!!

[DaWoWzer]

My favorite and frankly the example of a character decent into madness is when they hear bells so they use their dragon to commit genocide.

[hellojellomellow]

Wonderful analysis of the descent into madness.