How to Make a Mid Movie: A COMPLETE UNKNOWN

If you've ever wondered how to make the most mid-ass movie in existence, luckily for you, the perfect example is in theatres right now!

After watching A COMPLETE UNKNOWN this week, I was left with absolutely nothing.

And honestly, that inspired me.

It's so rare that a movie makes me feel nothing at all.

No hate, no love, no hehes or hahas.

Seriously, I was watching the movie like this:

I knew I had to analyze it and identify what exactly it is that makes it so mid.

And I believe I've cracked the code.

So I've provided a guide for all you aspiring writers and filmmakers who want to make a mid movie. 💕

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1. Make Your Theme as Unclear as Possible

This is the KEY to making a mid movie.

And it's exactly what makes A COMPLETE UNKNOWN so mid -- its vague stance on what the audience is supposed to take away from it.

When trying to identify a story's theme, the first place to look is the protagonist and how they're portrayed throughout the story.

What are their goals? What motivates them to achieve these goals? What actions do they take? How do they overcome obstacles? etc.

Throughout the film, Bob Dylan is, simply put, a mystery.

Mainly because we see him only taking action in one way: writing music. It's literally the only thing we know he cares about.

However, his WHY unclear.

We know he enjoys creating music, but why?

There's never a moment in the story where Dylan shows or expresses what compels him to make music / what it means to him. He just kinda does it because... Well... He's Bob Dylan?

This aura of mystery is brought up a couple times by people in his life who tell him they don't understand why the hell he does what he does. Which is exactly how the audience feels about him too.

(more on this in point 2!)

And if the audience can't understand / relate to the protagonist, they can't connect with their journey.

This makes the protagonist's emotional arc, and therefore the film's theme, unclear.

So with nothing to take away from the main thing that defines the protagonist, we're left with only the plot to derive a theme from.

Which is exactly where the next problem comes in: the two major plots covered in the film exist in completely separate contexts and do not affect each other in a strong way.

The main plot is Dylan's transition to electric, and the other is his failed romantic relationships.

Because these don't intertwine, and equal focus is placed on them throughout the film, it leads to both plots feeling underwhelming and underdeveloped (despite the film's near-2.5-hour runtime), and again leaves the audience without a clear takeaway for either story.

(more on this in point 3!)

The only common ground in these two storylines is Bob Dylan being Bob Dylan.

So one could argue that the theme of the film is "be yourself." However... Dylan "being himself" (whoever that really is) doesn't quite work out for him over the course of the film.

2. Make Your Protagonist Inaccessible

The main thing that defines Bob Dylan in this film isn't what he wants, but what he doesn't want.

And what he doesn't want is to be told what to do.

Which IS relatable -- BUT WAIT!!!!! You thought that was enough??

The only way this could be relatable is if it's clear what the protagonist DOES want.

Now I know what you're thinking: we do know what he wants -- to be a musician!

................ Right?

I regret to inform you... his actions in the film don't portray this.

Let's be honest, this movie probably paints Bob Dylan in a much more favorable light than reality.

For reasons COMPLETE(ly) UNKNOWN (hehe 💅), he refuses to change, despite his own actions directly sabotaging himself and hurting everyone around him.

In pursuit of what he "wants," he's late or absent for all his important music-related meetings / events, he's combative with the people who helped shape his career, he ruins relationships with those who care about him and his music the most...

At a certain point, it's like, does he even want to be a musician?

His actions are that of a man who has no idea who he really is or what he wants and is therefore doomed to a life of loneliness and misery.

But hey at least he's ✨ mysterious ✨

Dylan's relationships, romantic and otherwise, all crash and burn over the course of the film because he chooses to do only what he wants 100% of the time. But because what he wants is unclear, his perspective is inaccessible. (You can read more about what makes a protagonist inaccessible here!)

An inaccessible protagonist isn't a requirement for a mid movie, but it helps to have this if your theme is clear.

If you're not careful though, an inaccessible protagonist can make your story straight up bad.

And we're trying to stay mid here.

3. Make Your Plot More Important Than Your Characters

Another key aspect of a mid movie is a decent plot but cookie-cutter characters.

This is mainly an issue in A COMPLETE UNKNOWN's B-plot: Bob Dylan's strained relationships with Sylvie and Joan.

Almost immediately after Dylan meets Sylvie, we jump to them already moved-in together and pretty deep into their relationship.

This removes all opportunity to flesh out Sylvie's character beyond "girlfriend."

Which is exactly how Dylan saw her as well.

There's an opposite effect with Joan, who Dylan first meets at an open mic night.

She's introduced to the audience as a talented woman focused on her career and firm in her beliefs.

This is also how Dylan sees her.

At first.

When they reconnect and hook up while Sylvie is out of town, Joan's character is then reduced to "love interest," which is how Dylan sees her throughout the rest of the film.

Once these women are reduced to "girlfriend" and "love interest," the focus of their stories becomes entirely about how Dylan treated them terribly.

To be fair, yes, this is Bob Dylan's story, not theirs.

But that doesn't change the fact that they are characters in this story and deserve to be portrayed like real humans.

So what makes Sylvie and Joan so mid?

The filmmakers prioritized moving the plot forward over fleshing their characters out.

One way they did this was by not depicting a single moment where Sylvie or Joan seem to enjoy Dylan's company.

This focus on only the bad times was done to explain as quickly as possible why their relationships ended, and move the plot forward asap.

And in that sense, it works.

But in doing so, it takes away a major aspect of these women's characters that would shape them beyond 2-dimensional: what they WANT.

When we only see the bad in their relationships, it's difficult to understand why they want to be with Dylan at all.

And as mentioned in point 1 and 2, when a character's motivations are unclear, they become inaccessible.

This inaccessibility made it hard to identify the purpose of this subplot in the film.

Especially since Dylan doesn't seem affected by these failed relationships in any way.

When Sylvie leaves him, he nonchalantly asks her to stay between puffs of a cigarette. As soon as she leaves, he's unaffected and unchanged.

When Joan calls him an asshole and makes him leave her hotel room, he's unaffected and unchanged.

Further, at no point do these relationships impact his career (the A-story).

So what was the point of including this in the plot at all?

Seemingly it was just because, well, it happened in Bob Dylan's life and this is a movie about Bob Dylan's life.

But for a film, there needs to be a stronger purpose to include something other than "it happened." (or, for a fiction story, "this is what would happen")

Otherwise, like A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, the audience is left only with an observation of a story rather than a perspective.

While the filmmakers can't change how Dylan's life unfolded in order to make a stronger story, they could've made it clearer how these things affected Dylan, and built towards a more defined emotional arc to speak to any sort of theme for the film.

But maybe, just like the title, Dylan's emotional arc was meant to be a complete unknown :)

Even if it's intentional, it doesn't change that it makes the film certifiably MID.

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And THAT is the blueprint for a mid-ass movie. 👏

What are some other mid movies you can think of? And do you dare say any are more mid than A COMPLETE UNKNOWN?!

Let me know in the comments below!