Archetypal Representations in The Main Characters of A Real Pain Film Script
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24114/ag3y8d88Abstract
The study discusses the film script A Real Pain (2024) by using Carl Jung’s archetypal theory and Christopher Vogler’s Hero’s Journey to analyze the archetypes and character arcs of the main characters. The aim of the research is to reveal how the two protagonists, David and Benji, are represented through archetypal patterns and how their development unfolds across the story. This study applies a qualitative descriptive method with textual analysis focusing on dialogue, monologue, and character actions. The findings show that both characters embody four archetypes: Persona, Shadow, Anima, and Self. David and Benji are mostly associated with the Self archetype. David reflecting his pursuit of balance and reflection, while Benji revealing his instability and unresolved grief. The Hero’s Journey analysis indicates that David’s arc follows a more structured transformation, whereas Benji’s journey is fragmented but still conveys emotional depth. The research concludes that archetypes strongly shape the characters’ psychological portrayals and that the Hero’s Journey framework highlights both complete and incomplete transformations in contemporary cinema.
Keywords: A Real Pain; Archetype; Character Arc; Film Analysis; Hero's Journey
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