Telling the Truth
by Chiemeka Osuagwu
On the 16th of December 2011, The Daily Beast published an article written by one of my favourite performers/comedic minds Stephen Fry in the wake of the death of author Christopher Hitchens. In it, Stephen spends almost every syllable speaking very highly of the wit and intelligence of Hitchens, but what stands out the most for me in the article is a statement made in Fry’s final paragraph. “A true thing badly expressed becomes a lie”. This paradox is stated in reference to Hitchens’ masterful command of the English language, and I believe the same can also be said with respect to stories and storytelling.
A good story told poorly becomes a bad one.
Take, for example, the widely known story of a young sorcerer, blessed with abilities more powerful and dangerous than his peers, trying hard to hold on to the light while being incessantly seduced by evil. On its surface, this seems like a story with a lot of promise, and honestly it is. However, with stories, the trick is in telling them, executing them, and in this case, that is exactly where things begin to go awry. The story above is that of Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels, by the way. A set of films that have been widely critiqued for their storytelling problems. This is a popular example of what many would call a poorly told story, so what exactly does a well told or riveting story look like and what are the elements of one? To answer this, I always look to the simplest definition of a story — An interesting character facing an intriguing dilemma that has a satisfactory ending. These are the three basic building blocks for a good story.
An Interesting Character — this doesn’t mean a character that is good or bad or quirky. It means there must be numerous facets to a character. A great example of an interesting character is Daemon Targaryen from the HBO TV series House of the Dragon. He is a character who, at first glance, seems to be a pompous, self-involved, spoilt man-child, but in brief moments, such as the one between him and his niece Rhaenyra at the end of the first episode of the show, he reveals that he also has some compassion and does care for his family. He cheats when he wants to but he is also one of the few people that (on occasion) speaks honestly to his brother King Viserys. Daemon has many facets to him and this is what makes him interesting to watch, because an interesting character will make the most entertaining choices when faced with –
An Intriguing Dilemma. This is the conflict that a character must face that unravels in order to propel story forward. Above all else, dilemmas exist to force a character into making choices which further unfurl the story being told in exciting ways and unveil previously unseen sides to said character. A perfect example of an intriguing dilemma can be found in Luis Buñuel’s 1962 film El ángel exterminador. I won’t spoil the film, but it is fascinating to say the least and most definitely intriguing.
Which leads us directly to the Satisfactory Ending of a film. This is determined by all that has come before it — who the interesting character has become, that is if said character changes at all, and what choices that character made when faced with intriguing dilemmas. A satisfactory ending doesn’t necessarily need to be joyful or tragic and in the case of the Abbas Kiarostami film Taste of Cherry, a satisfactory ending to a story might mean no ending at all.
These three components are vital in the telling of most absorbing stories, especially in film and television. However, I wouldn’t say that they are the most important. That honour goes to one which encapsulates all that I have mentioned while also being greater than the sum of its parts. Stories are very wide and varied depending on the medium through which they are told and whoever is telling them, but I believe that at the core of every story, regardless of how it is consumed — whether on a TV, in a book or on a big screen at the cinema — the cardinal element for captivating storytelling is Truth. And by truth, I am referring to Truth of the World and Truth of the Character.
All stories must happen somewhere, whether that is the psychedelic feverdream world of Alice in Wonderland or the zombie infested slum of C. J. Obasi’s Ojuju, and wherever a story exists is called the Story World. The truth of this story world can be established through the rules and structures that guide it and all the characters that occupy it as well as the actions of said characters. These rules may or may not resemble the rules of our own physical world, but they must be, above all else, expressed and conveyed with detail, precision and clarity. To be clear, when I mention “truth” I am referring to the authenticity and reality of the world that has been created which includes the history and politics of that world, all of which must work in tandem with one another for the story to truly come to life. A perfect example of where there is truth of a story world is Middle Earth. In J. R. R. Tolkien’s books he very clearly and efficiently presents the rules and history of his vast, complicated world in specific detail. This detail and care is what draws a reader (or viewer) into the world no matter how fantastical it may be. It gives the world substance; it makes it feel lived in, real and above all else, true.
A true world is complex, and the same can be said of a true character. To paraphrase Shrek — Characters are like onions. They have layers. But not ones stacked on top of each other like a cake. When these complexities are simply stacked one on top of the other, what is created is uneven, disjointed characters who do things because the plot dictates they do. These characters make decisions but we do not believe these decisions because they are seemingly coming out of nowhere. There is no rhyme or reason. This is because those complexities are simply plopped one on the other without care. With an onion, the more layers you take off, the more you see. When you peel back a layer of a character, you reveal a whole new, previously unseen layer of that character. This is what makes a character feel like an actual person. Truth of the Character is therefore achieved when a character is a fully realised, complex individual within the confines of a specific story world.
In basic terms, Truth in storytelling is attained when a story has believable characters occupying and living in a precise, authentic world and this is the foundation upon which all good stories are built. Truth of world and character guide storytelling decisions and hopefully, with a lot of talent, experience and dumb luck, they set a story up to be truly compelling.
Obviously, this is just a personal theory, but I believe that truth is the main component in the execution of any story and without truth, all stories fall flat.
Chiemeka Osuagwu is a Writer and Director. You can view his work — Far From Home on Netflix, The Blood Covenant on Amazon Prime and his short film, Samaria here.
