Examining the "Twists and Turns" Narrative Device of the Films The Sixth Sense and A Beautiful Mind

The 1999 Psychological Thriller, THE SIXTH SENSE, written by M. Night Shyamalan, tells the story of a troubled boy who communicates with the dead and the dishearted child psychologist who tries to help him. Starring Haley Joel Osment (as the young Cole Sear) and Bruce Willis (as Dr. Malcolm Crowe), this film not only established Shyamalan as a filmmaker, but also introduced us to what would become known as his affinity for “twist endings”.

Shyamalan would go on to write other screenplays for films such as Unbreakable, The Village, Lady in the Water, & The Happening; all of which employed his signature twist. However, none of these films employ the “narrative device” of twist endings as effectively and brilliantly as THE SIXTH SENSE.

A BEAUTIFUL MIND, the 2001 dramatic film written by Akiva Goldsman is the story of a brilliant yet troubled mathematician who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. Based upon the life of John Forbes Nash, Jr. & starring Russell Crowe, this film, went on to win four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress.

Deconstructing the Narrative

Both The Sixth Sense and A Beautiful Mind employ a similar “narrative device” that is built upon the premise of three important elements:

1. Developing and constructing the plot of the film to hide surprise
2. Developing and constructing the plot of the film to “misdirect” the audience
3. Main characters are unaware of the state of their existence

The Sixth Sense

Developing & Constructing the plot of the film to hide surprise and misdirect the audience

The Sixth Sense was, undoubtedly, brilliant writing on the part of M. Night Shylaman. The script employs one twist and turn after another without the audience being aware of what's taking place. It doesn't feel like a roller coaster ride until the end of the film, when it's revealed that Dr. Malcolm Crowe is, in fact, DEAD! What's fascinating about the way this narrative device is employed in THE SIXTH SENSE, is that we are given the impression that Dr. Malcolm Crowe is interacting with other characters. He's seemingly having dinner with his wife, confronting the man who she's been spending time with; at one point in the story it appears as if he's having a conversation with Cole's mother. Once the surprise is revealed, we are given a visual recap of those moments and only at the moment of revelation do we realize that it is actually possible that he DID NOT have those interactions with those characters. However, not one time, during the film and during these interactions (illusions), did we (at least most of us) doubt that he was in fact, in those scenarios, in the ways in which they were initially presented on screen. Brilliant!

Main characters are unaware of the state of their existence

Dr. Malcolm Crowe was as unaware of the state of his existence as we were. He had no idea that he was dead. This particular element, employed in this narrative device, invokes an additional emotional response from an audience. Not only are we discovering, reacting to and dealing with the state of the protagonist's existence, we are also sympathizing with the character as they discover, react to and deal with it as well.

Unlike A Beautiful Mind, M. Night Shylaman's revelation in THE SIXTH SENSE marked the ending of the film.

A Beautiful Mind picked us up, dropped us 100 feet, made us wonder if we'd been dropped 100 feet, then picked us up again...

A BEAUTIFUL MIND

Developing & Constructing the plot of the film to hide surprise and misdirect the audience

A BEAUTIFUL MIND is another example of a story that twists and turns while presenting an established narrative.

The established narrative: John Nash is a peculiar, brilliant and somewhat isolated mathematician attending Princeton University. He occasionally interacts with students but is focused on and committed to his work. He falls in love and get's married.

The twists and turns: John Nash suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and delusions. His roommate Charles Herman; His roommates young niece Marcee, and William Parcher, the United States Department of Defense representative who recruits Nash to work on behalf of the dept, are ALL figments of his imagination. None of these people actually exist.

The audience is unaware of the illusions and unaware of the state of existence for these characters.

Main characters are unaware of the state of their existence

What's more complex and somewhat different about the way in which the "twist and turn" element is executed in A Beautiful Mind is that, we are only “confronted with the possibility” that the state of the protagonists existence is other than what we'd been shown. Dr. Nash was undoubtedly a peculiar & somewhat disturbed character. We'd lent the characteristic to his unmatched brilliance, it usually goes along with the territory. Once it's “somewhat revealed” that he's suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and delusions, we're left to wonder if this is actually what is taking place. Is he really mentally disturbed? He can't be!

The possibility of him being set up, misunderstood or targeted (because of his “imagined” work with the CIA, we didn't know it wasn't real) seem more likely than him possibly suffering from schizophrenia.

The film continues with the story being developed around the “reality” that he is indeed, mentally disturbed, delusional and that the diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia did indeed happen.

However, as soon we begin to believe this, we are confronted with the possibility, once again, that this is not the state of his existence. The (imagined) CIA agent "reappears" and Dr. Nash continues his work with the Department of Defense, or so we think!

The "twist and turn" element is employed so effectively, that the audience has to “come to terms” along with the protagonist, about the state of his existence. 

A BEAUTIFUL MIND and THE SIXTH SENSE are both films, that effectively employ the “twist and turn” narrative device while brilliantly incorporating the three necessary elements to pull this off.

The “twist & turn” or “twist ending” narrative device has been used in the development of many screenplays for films such as, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, starring Kevin Spacey; Se7en, starring Brad Pitt & Morgan Freeman; and Fight Club, starring Brad Pitt & Edward Norton. 


Although not an easy or always effective narrative device to employ in screenwriting, when it's done well, it's done well and when it's bad, it's bad.

Keep writing!

Till next time.

Stay REEL
SM