Unveiling the Hidden Power of Themes: How Moments Shape Our Deepest Stories
Ever notice how those handful of scenes in a movie stick with you long after the credits roll? It’s like your brain’s got a VIP section reserved just for “moments”—those pinpoint intervals that crack open the heart of the story’s meaning. Funny, isn’t it, how these fleeting flashes—sometimes just seconds—carry the full weight of what a film’s really about?
I always tell my screenwriting students this: plot is the “what”—what happens. But theme? Theme is the juicy “why”—why it matters. And zeroing in on a story’s theme isn’t some vague, highfalutin exercise. Nope, it’s about spotting those razor-sharp moments that distill everything, clearing away the narrative noise to reveal the core message shimmering beneath.
So, what exactly makes a “moment” in a screenplay? It’s that slice of time where everything is happening right now—intensely, urgently, like time itself is holding its breath—and it’s not just filler; it moves the whole story forward in a meaningful way. No wonder those moments are seared into our memory!
Let’s dive into a few iconic movie moments that prove how these snapshot experiences can spell out a theme with crystal clarity—across genres, moods, and decades. Ready? Let’s unlock the secret language beneath the surface of cinema’s most unforgettable beats.
“It should not be surprising that what we most often and most vividly remember about a movie are its key moments. It should also not be surprising that moments are almost always imbued with a story’s themes, one of the reasons they are memorable.”
Theme = Meaning
That is the principle I teach in my screenwriting classes. Plot answers the question, What is the story about? Theme answers the question, What does the story mean?
But how to zero in on a story’s themes?
Sometimes we need to think about theme in a simple way, narrow the field of possibilities, clear away the clutter, and allow our story to convey to us its essential meanings.
In other words, we need moments.
What is a moment?
In terms of a movie or screenplay, moment has a precise meaning:
A specific point in time, the present time, that is of particular importance in the overall series of events in a story.
Let’s parse that out:
- A specific point in time: A moment can be constituted by a scene, but most often it is a sliver or slice, if you will, of a scene, a matter of mere seconds.
- The present time: Whereas an entire screenplay is written in the present tense, therefore creating a sense that what is happening is happening now, a moment represents an intensification of that experience. What is happening now is really happening now. Time seems to slow, even stand still for the characters — as well as the reader.
- That is of particular importance in the overall series of events in a story: Why does what is happening in a moment seem to be really happening now? Because what is happening is something significant, something influential, something that impacts character and plot.
It should not be surprising then that what we most often and most vividly remember about a movie is its key moments. It should also not be surprising that moments are almost always imbued with a story’s themes, one of the reasons they are memorable.
Let us consider three movie moments covering a range of genres and moods to see how those moments convey a sharp, clear articulation of the story’s themes.
