Breaking The Scene (Little Miss Sunshine — Roadside Breakdown)

Little Miss Sunshine is a movie that strikes a seemingly perfect balance of heart-wrenching and heartwarming moments. Here’s a scene which somehow includes both.

Scene Link (Part 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcLlq4Lml7A

Scene Link (Part 2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I7t0sFCdck

Written By: Michael Arndt

Scene Context:

Dwayne has taken a vow of silence as part of his dedication to become a jet pilot. He is going on a road trip with his family so his little sister, Olive, can perform in a beauty contest.

Scene Conflicts:

• Dwayne wants to be left alone
• The family can’t desert him, but needs to get to the pageant for Olive

Scene Outline:

1. Olive is giving Dwayne an eye test as their parents argue over how little time they have to make it to the pageant.
2. Dwayne is unable to pass the colorblind exam. Frank (his uncle) defeatedly tells him that colorblind pilots aren’t allowed to fly.
3. Dwayne begins to breakdown, hitting the sides of the car and breaking into tears. Frank demands that they pull the van over.
4. Dwayne rushes out of the van and screams. Starts sobbing as the family watches from up a hill, not knowing what to do.
5. Sheryl (his mom) comes down and tells him that they’ve got to go. Dwayne turns on her, tells her he doesn’t want to keep going.
6. Sheryl argues that they’re family. Dwayne yells that he doesn’t want to be part of this family. Calls each of them out individually (aside from Olive) as losers. Tells Sheryl to leave him.
7. Sheryl retreats back up the hill. Laments that they can’t do anything. Richard (the father) offers that Olive try and talk to Dwayne.
8. Olive makes her way down. She sits and consoles Dwayne without saying a word.
9. Dwayne decides to come back to the van.

Why It Works:

The Painful but Inevitable: This entire film, Dwayne hasn’t spoken a single word. As an audience, we then expect that, at some point, he has to speak. It’s inevitable. We don’t have any idea how it’s going to happen, but as he comes to the realization that his lifelong dream is an impossibility, we suddenly get the gut-wrenching feeling that this will be the moment that he speaks. By withholding this moment until this climax of Dwayne’s arc, his speaking is made significantly more important and memorable.

Ticking Clock: Throughout the entire film, the family has been struggling to stay on schedule to make it to Olive’s beauty pageant. This allows every scene a consistent level of momentum, and in scenes like this, create a necessary pressure which every character feels. Yes, Dwayne’s revelation is reasonably heart-wrenching to watch, but the family literally doesn’t have time to help Dwayne right now. The time constraints thus force an extra level of conflict on this already high-pressure scene, making it even more strenuous for viewers.

Sudden Explosion: Dwayne has remained relatively docile for the whole of the film. And moments before his meltdown, he seems entirely calm. He’s not taking this eye test for any reason other than entertaining Olive. But the low stakes eye exam becomes immediately expanded once his colorblindness is revealed. The intensity of the scene ramps from a 10 to a 10,000 in a matter of seconds, thus shocking the audience into emotion.

Cathartic Understanding: Dwayne says some pretty awful things in his tirade, but at the same time, they’re things we can sympathize with. This entire film, each of the characters has been trying to pretend as if they aren’t failing in their respective lives. And so, with him calling each of their failures out, we react with a mix of understanding and disgust. These dueling emotions pull us further into Dwayne’s perspective, while also providing a strong thematic landmark in the story. In this scene, the characters must hear how they failed from a child who, it seems, they’ve failed themselves.

Secluded Battleground: What’s particularly smart about this scene is how Dwayne is intentionally separated from his family. He’s not impossibly far away, of course, but is in a setting that makes it especially intimidating for anyone who wants to speak to him. They all can’t go down and talk to him at once. Rather, anyone who wants to talk to him will need to go down this hill and suffer a one-on-one conversation. After seeing how he plainly decimated his mother, this setting is imbued with a distinct sense of emotional danger. And so when Olive makes the trek herself, a feeling of dread begins to overtake us.

The Unified Motivator: One of the best things about this film is Olive’s character. She’s a child which serves as a continual symbol for what each member of the family strives to be. They’ve all been beaten down by the cynicism of daily life, but Olive has yet to experience the pains which each of them have. Throughout the film, it’s plain to see the family has little to no love for one another, yet they are brought together, always, by their want to protect Olive. So when she comes down and comforts Dwayne, it’s beautiful. She doesn’t need to say anything because we, as an audience, can perfectly understand what she means to Dwayne. We know that, despite everything Dwayne has suffered, he still wants to protect Olive. She’s a reminder that there’s still hope. His decision to reenter the family van is solely motivated by his care for her, like all decisions made by the family through the film.

Summary:

There’s a lot going on in this scene which allows it to go from such a distinct low point to one of familial triumph. Dwayne’s intensity, compounded by the pressure of those around him, is quelled by the amazingly well-established Olive, who’s simple act is able to resolutely define herself as the film’s stakes character. We are clearly reminded of the optimism and kindness she still possesses, and it’s this evident positivity which allows Dwayne to recover and the plot to naturally move forth.