On Thursday, November 6th, the audience of the 66th Thessaloniki International Film Festival had the opportunity to attend a fascinating masterclass, titled “Contrary to Expectation,” delivered by Nikos Panayotopoulos. Engaging in dialogue with the grand tribute of this year’s Festival, “Plot Twist, Beyond the Sixth Sense,” the acclaimed Greek author and scriptwriter analyzed the timeless allure and irresistible power of the plot twist; the reversal of expectations in dramatic (and not only) storytelling. Drawing on a veritable plethora of references, from the biblical parable of David and Goliath to Aristotle’s works, and from Krzysztof Kieślowski to Fatih Akin’s works, Nikos Panayotopoulos singled out and presented some of the most memorable examples of the use of plot twists in the history of cinema as well as art in general.
Nikos Panayotopoulos received a warm welcome from the Festival’s Artistic Director, Orestis Andreadakis. “The main theme of this year’s edition is the reversal of expectations. In addition to the film The Sixth Sense (1999), which is perhaps the most characteristic example of a plot twist in storytelling, we wished to explore the origins of this storytelling device. This is why we invited a person who intimately knows and perfectly comprehends the notion of storytelling both in cinema and in literature. Nikos Panayotopoulos is the scriptwriter of some of the most renowned films in Greek cinema, as well as the author of acclaimed books. Nikos Panayotopoulos participates in the tribute of this year’s edition to the Plot Twist with a highly interesting text, titled Me tis evlogies tou Aristoteli [With Aristotle’s Blessing]. He will now explain to you himself why and how everything began from this great thinker and philosopher of ancient Greece.”
Immediately afterwards, the baton was passed to Nikos Panayotopoulos, who playfully warned the audience at the start that “this next hour would be full of spoilers!” Next, he thanked the attendees, stating: “It is truly inconceivable that at this very moment our planet is experiencing great tragedies, human lives are being lost in Gaza, Ukraine, and other parts of the world, and we have gathered in a movie theater to talk about the reversal of expectation in storytelling.” Nikos Panayotopoulos then introduced the notion of the plot twist to his audience in an innovative manner -by showcasing snapshots from the triumph of Greece’s national basketball team in the semifinal against the USA at the 2006 Basketball World Cup held in Japan. “Twenty years later, we witness the reversal of expectations. We saw David defeat Goliath. This ancient expression, which has survived to this day as a saying in the Greek language, demonstrates the power inherent in the reversal of expectations. This story also teaches us another important narrative principle; it reminds us that the stronger the opponent, the more powerful the dramatic narrative. Take, for example, David Fincher’s Seven (1995). Kevin Spacey is Brad Pitt’s unmatched rival, as he has everything planned, even his own demise. In fact, at the beginning of the film there is this captivating scene with Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow hosting a dinner and inviting Morgan Freeman. Out of the blue, the house starts shaking as a train passes by outside. In dramatic storytelling, we call this foreshadowing. The house will eventually collapse, and the screenwriter, Andrew Kevin Walker, has already alluded to it. The film’s structural component is 90 minutes of plot twists.”
Nikos Panayotopoulos then referred to another fascinating case of a dramatic plot twist in cinema, and more specifically to David Mamet’s film noir, House of Games (1987). As the plot unfolds, a psychiatrist is charmed by a con artist and asks him to teach her his tricks. But in the finale, she ends up being the victim of the scam. “The interesting question is whether this woman is sad or happy at the end of the film. Her emotional state fully reflects the viewer’s. The heroine rejoices, just as the viewer does, experiencing the thrill of having their expectations overturned. This game has been around since ancient times,” Nikos Panayotopoulos explained. “Aristotle taught us that in every myth, events must succeed one another, either because this is the natural sequence of things or because it is simply impossible to do otherwise. Everything that happens in a myth needs to be related through cause-and-effect.” As for the fundamental components of a myth, the remarkable Greek creator explained that they are adventure, recognition, and suffering. “Aristotle spoke of adventure 2,500 years ago, defining transformation as the journey from happiness to sorrow or the other way around. Similarly, recognition is the passage from ignorance to understanding, and suffering refers to serious injuries, death, etc.” However, he emphasized that although the above must follow one another through cause-and-effect, either because it is the natural flow of things or because it cannot happen otherwise, they must also occur in a paradoxical manner, i.e., contrary to our expectations. “The spectator must be taken by surprise, for only then can they truly admire what occurred,” he stressed.
Subsequently, Nikos Panayotopoulos spoke about other notable examples of narrative twists, such as the Oedipus Rex tragedy, The Terminator film series, Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code, as well as the Dardenne brothers’ films The Son (2002), and The Child (2005). As for the latter, he noted that “the reversal of expectation is set in motion from the very beginning, with the introduction of a main character.” Another example is our first introduction to the protagonist in Bob Rafelson’s Five Easy Pieces (1970), portrayed by Jack Nicholson. “We’re shown an amazing opening scene introducing the main character. He is an oil rig worker. He drinks beer with his friend, talks about women, and swears on the highway. You don't expect that as soon as he sits down at the piano, he will play Rachmaninoff like a true virtuoso.” At this point, another clip from Fatih Akin’s film Head-On (2004): “Those of us who’ve seen the film know it features the most impressive opening hour we’ve witnessed on the big screen in a long time. This is because the narrator constantly pulls the rug out from under our feet.”
Furthermore, he mentioned the opening scene of Francis Ford Coppola’s film The Conversation (1974). “The film begins and it’s like an unseen hand tunes our expectations. The director is fully aware of how pivotal the twist is, so he makes sure to highlight it through the direction,” he analyzed, before showcasing a snippet from Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colors: White (1994). “This is a reversal that’s also highlighted through the direction by shifting from a dark scene in a subway tunnel to a brighter one, set against the white expanse of snow,” he remarked, and then went on to add: “When you hear the term plot twists, and you have in mind films such as The Sixth Sense or Seven, you might think it’s a cheap trick, designed solely for achieving commercial success in the box office. In reality, it is a very powerful storytelling device used by the greatest storytellers in cinema. Kieślowski frequently employs this device. Another instance is the second film featured in the Dekalog (1989), which is also in my opinion the most stunning. In the finale, we see the patient's face, yet we don't know whether he will survive or die. The director, without a single line of dialogue, conveys everything with a panoramic shot that moves from the patient's face to the jar of sweets and then to the bee flying away -he says it all. The true objective is to tell the story in the most spectacular way, with as few words as possible, while toying with the spectator’s expectations. Kieslowski, together with his scriptwriter, confirm what Aristotle said. Probable impossibilities are to be preferred to improbable possibilities. It is better to paint antlers on a female deer than to paint the antlers of a male deer badly.”
The masterclass concluded after a Q&A, during which Nikos Panayotopoulos talked about another characteristic example of a narrative reversal, this time in Greek cinema; Panos H. Koutras’ Strella (2009). “This is one of the best plot twists we’ve seen in Greek cinema in recent years, a reversal of Oedipus,” Nikos Panayotopoulos commented. On the subject of clichés, he expressed the view that those involved in cinema or literature should avoid succumbing to their thrall. Additionally, when asked whether storytelling techniques can be taught, the scriptwriter stressed that he doesn’t believe creative writing can be taught, adding that “mannerism is a negative element. However, when I watched Breaking Bad, I could never get enough of the plot twists. Do you want to call it a cliché? Maybe so. Another similar example is Succession. The viewer can’t get enough.” Finally, when asked whether he has discerned a lack of original scripts in Greece, Nikos Panayotopoulos said: “This is a discussion that’s been at the forefront for many years. We have original scripts, we have stories to tell, and we have good scriptwriters. Once we start treating cinema as it deserves, we will see these scripts come to life as well.”
