How many times have you heard someone complain about a movie, show, or book with the reasoning of "it has no plot"? Examples of movies that have elicited such reactions tend to be either dialogue or reflection heavy, such as Before Sunrise/Before Sunset, Lost in Translation, Sideways, The Shining, etc. I am always inclined to ask one of two questions: "what exactly do you think plot means?" or "so?"
Let's first address the definition. A plot literally is a storyline, and, so, I assume that people who throw around this "no plot" reasoning mean more precisely that not much happens in the given story. This, while initially seeming reasonable, is the most egregious belief of all. People who say this- that a given story has "no plot" and that "not much happens"- likely have little to no conception of symbolism. Returning to an example above- The Shining- you'll clearly see what I mean by this. So it's literally nothing happening for Jack to sit at the bar and stare at the liquor cabinet. But, symbolically, what is happening in that scene? He's letting the alcohol back into his life; he is becoming an alcoholic again. Did we really need to get
For another example, take a show like Mad Men. What literally happens most of the time on that show? Not too much. The characters talk, and they often talk about work-related issues. However, over time, viewers watch this show week after week because they are invested in the characters' lives and what is revealed about them as time goes on. In other words, we become invested in characters for the same reason we become invested in real people: because we care about them. Would you say that you care about your friends because of the things they do? No, and you wouldn't say that about Peggy Olsen either. We have come to love her because we have spent so much time listening to her talk and watching her slowly (and realistically, I might add) grow as a person.
Okay, so the other way I sometimes respond…the reason I choose to respond with a "so?" or a "what do you mean?" is largely based on my emotions at the time of the conversation. If I kind of feel like engaging the person who would rather be watching Transformers than Amelie, I may ask him to define his terms. However, if I'm annoyed or generally viewing humanity as a lost cause, my inquiry will likely be monosyllabic. Moving on…
I recently watched another film that I'm sure many have decried has "no plot." In anticipation of the upcoming HBO show, Girls, I chose to watch Lena Dunham's Tiny Furniture. First of all, let me say that this is a fantastic movie with a challenging and, at times, devastatingly honest portrayal of a less-than-confident young woman. There are many seemingly unmomentious scenes, such as one that depicts Lena's character, Aura, standing in front of a row of white cabinets, inquiring to her mother across the apartment "where are the light bulbs?" in response her mother calls, "in the white cabinet." To the uncareful, uncaring eye, this scene is nothing more than an out-of-shape girl standing in her pajamas, looking a bit obscene and pathetic, staring at a wall in a house. But anyone who knows anything about symbolism and has the briefest of notions of what this movie is about could tell you much more about what this scene conveys. Aura is lost, and no one is helping her find the light.
The truth is that movies like these have a higher purpose than just conveying action. Creators of such stories understand that there is, after all, more to life than action and that the most seemingly still and quiet moments of our lives may be the ones where the most significant change is taking place. And they know that "plot" can mean much more than just action.
