02Murray SmithInterpretiveSample on Nope (2022)
Structure of Sympathy
Example analysis of Nope (2022), screenplay by Jordan Peele. Shown for demonstration and commentary. It reads a finished film to show the format, so anything it flags may well be deliberate; on your own draft, treat each flag as a question.
Also on: Parasite (2019)
The audience roots most for OJ Haywood, Emerald Haywood and Angel Torres, least for Ricky 'Jupe' Park
How to read this
Murray Smith's three levels of engagement. Recognition: the audience can pick the character out and remember them. Alignment: we follow the story at their side and get into their head. Allegiance: we are on their side.
Each level is the model's estimate, given as a band. A level that is the same for every character is given once, under the rows. Select a row to follow that character through every panel; Esc clears it.
OJ is in more than two scenes in five and stays emotionally opaque throughout. The audience has to lean in to read him.
- Sc. 76
Sympathy for Jupe is never higher than in his flashback in scene 76, which is why his hubris four scenes later lands as tragedy.
- Sc. 10
Allegiance moves from Emerald (scene 10) to OJ (109, 160) and back to her at 199. Their skills and flaws fit together, and the film runs on both.
Holst is the cautionary tale. His death follows directly from the film's central theme: spectacle destroys the people who chase it.
Emerald Haywood gains the most sympathy by the end; the audience turns against Ricky 'Jupe' Park
Allegiance by scene, 1–208
How to read this
One chart per character, all on the same scale and the same scenes, so their heights compare and a scene lines up down the column. Above the dashed neutral line the audience is on the character's side; below it, against them.
Dots are the scenes the analysis measured; the larger dot is the last. Ochre rings mark the shifts listed under the charts. A shaded band is the range of scenes picked elsewhere in the report. Select a name to follow that character through every panel.
- Sc. 5
OJ Haywood: sympathy rises sharply when a nickel falls from the sky and kills his father.
- Sc. 10
Emerald Haywood: sympathy rises with her proud speech about her family's uncredited legacy. There is more to her than the flakiness.
- Sc. 76
Sympathy for Jupe is highest in the Gordy flashback, where we see him as a traumatised child survivor.
- Sc. 80
Ricky 'Jupe' Park: sympathy drops when the Star Lasso show turns deadly. Horses and people pay for his hubris.
- Sc. 109
Sympathy surges when OJ works out the 'don't look' rule and saves Em and Angel.
- Sc. 160
Sympathy rises again as OJ risks his life for the despicable TMZ reporter.
- Sc. 184
Sympathy for Holst drops when he abandons the team for a suicidal pursuit of the 'impossible shot.'
- Sc. 199
Sympathy for Emerald climbs highest when she gets past her fear and beats the creature with her own plan. Her arc from hustler to hero is complete.
Antlers Holst is seen only from the outside
OJ Haywood knows what the audience knows. Sympathy rises and ends sympathetic.
- Presence
- Strong
- Point of view
- Strong
- Inner life
- Moderate
Recognition. Introduced with a quiet, stoic demeanour and one specific skill, horse training, that sets him apart from the start. His catchphrase 'Nope' and his stillness under pressure are what the audience remembers him by. The 'Scorpion King' hoodie, and later the reflective safety gear, give him a silhouette that is easy to pick out.
Alignment. We experience the father's death and the first UFO encounter almost entirely through his perspective. We learn that Jean Jacket is an animal, not a ship, at the moment he works it out, so our knowledge keeps pace with his. We never get inside his grief over Otis Sr. We see only the outward signs: selling the horses, the stoicism.
Allegiance. His father's sudden death, and then his struggle to keep the family ranch, settle the rooting interest early. His protective instincts toward Emerald, despite their friction, and his bravery in saving the Ryder cement his moral standing. At the end he gives up his own escape to draw Jean Jacket away from Em, the most selfless act in the film.
Six moral cues that shape how we judge OJ Haywood
- Tries to save his father after the nickel strike.
- Refuses to sell the ranch to Jupe despite financial ruin.
- Rushes to Jupiter's Claim to save Lucky.
- Risks his life to try and rescue the TMZ reporter (Ryder).
- Uses his knowledge of animal behaviour to outsmart Jean Jacket without violence.
- Sacrifices his own safety to draw the creature away from Emerald.
For the next draft
- From Holst's death in scene 190 the story runs straight into the final action, and OJ and Em never stop long enough for the loss to register. Is that as much weight as you want his death to carry?
- Jupe goes from trauma survivor to feeding horses to the creature, and the script never shows how he got there. Would his first encounter with it, on screen, make the turn feel earned?
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