One of the first things we hear about screenwriting is… to avoid flashbacks. They can be tricky, often seen as a lazy way to tell a story. But what if I told you that flashbacks, when done right, can be one of the most powerful storytelling tools?
Flashbacks have the unique ability to convey vital information about the story and characters, yet many audiences might find them boring if not executed well. However, in the hands of a skilled screenwriter or director, flashbacks can become thrilling and immersive scenes that pull us deeper into the narrative.
Today, we’re diving into “Challengers,” directed by Luca Guadagnino. In this film, screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes uses flashbacks masterfully to drive the story forward and develop the characters.
We will be metioning specific scenes from the screenplay, so here you can take a look.
Flashbacks as Conflict and Exposition
Flashbacks are more than just a narrative gimmick. According to screenwriting guru Robert McKee in his book Story:
The flashback is simply another form of exposition.
Robert McKee
Exposition serves two ends: (1) to further the immediate conflict and (2) to convey information.
The film opens with a high-stakes tennis match between Art and Patrick, setting a tense atmosphere. Then, we flash back to one week earlier. This isn’t just a simple cut back in time. It’s a well-crafted sequence that gives us critical insights into Art’s struggles and his relationship with Tashi. In scene 12 from the screenplay, we see Art and Tashi discussing going to the challengers. Art isn’t going because he wants to, but because he wants Tashi to admire him. This scene empowers two important elements in any screenplay: curiosity and emotion. Once we care about these characters, we want to know more.
Dramatizing Flashbacks
This curiosity leads us to the importance of dramatizing flashbacks. Robert McKee advises to “interpolate a minidrama into the story with its own inciting incident, progressions, and turning point.”
Once we know about Tashi and Art’s sort-of marriage, we want to know about the other protagonist of this story, Patrick, the other man playing in the initial scene. The screenwriter creates a mini-drama to show Patrick’s desperate circumstances and deep-seated rivalries.
Patrick’s Flashback Breakdown:
- Beginning: Patrick arrives at the challenger without any money to stay the night.
- Turning Point: He spends the night in his car.
- Middle I: He discovers Art will be in the challenger (and so will Tashi).
- Turning Point: He finds Tashi and tries to convince her to be his manager. She declines.
- Middle II: Patrick keeps trying to convince Tashi but she says Art is not retiring.
- Turning Point: Once Tashi knows Art is retiring, she “accepts” to spend the night with Patrick. He wheedles her to think Patrick will be over after their match.
Two Types of Exposition
But the audience’s curiosity is also heightened when we realize… we know more than the characters or we know less than them. This brings us to the two types of exposition, as noted by Syd Field:
- Conveying information that neither the audience nor the characters know.
- Conveying information the audience needs but all the characters know.
In scene 39, where neither Art nor the audience knows if Patrick and Tashi spent the night together, Patrick uses Art’s unique way of serving to reveal this information. This movement is known only to Patrick and Art, but not Tashi.
Years later, the night before the match, in scene 92, Tashi and Patrick are together again. This conflict is unknown to Art, putting the audience in a position of dramatic irony—we know more than the character until it pays off during the match. During the match, Patrick repeats the same move he used when he was with Tashi the first time. Art then becomes aware of the situation, but Tashi remains oblivious.
This masterful game of “Who knows what?” and “When should the audience know it?” is expertly executed in ‘Challengers,’ keeping the audience engaged and invested in the story.
Watch the video analysis of “Challengers” for more insights.
