“Gifted Hands” is a film directed by Thomas Carter, which tells the story of doctor Ben Carson, an individual who rose from an impoverished and unstable family to become a high-class surgeon. The story revolves around him trying to separate two conjoined twins, while also telling the story of his life, and how he came to be the man he currently is. Despite the movie’s storytelling being disjointed and split between the past and the present, it still follows the paradigm of the 3-Act Hollywood structure. This structure suggests three acts – the inciting incident, the midpoint, and the resolution (Lamb, 2018). The inciting incident in this case can be summarized by the question: will Carson be able to save the conjoined twins, or will he fail?
The second act teleports the audience into the doctor’s past. This may be confusing, as the exposition is usually done in the first act, while the second act shows how the hero seeks to solve the problem presented before them, it makes sense here. It demonstrates how Carson grew up to be the person he is, what kinds of decisions he made along the way, and what cases he solved as a doctor. The third act, which is the resolution, brings up all of the experience and character-building Carson had in the second act, and shows how he applies it to save the twins. The operation is promising to be difficult and risky, but the doctor took risks before. Having an epiphany, he plans a 22-hour surgery, and succeeds in separating the children, thus creating a happy ending for himself and the family. As it is possible to see, the 3-Act Hollywood structure outlines the screenwriting in this film.
Reference
Lamb, B. (2018). Creative conventions: How to script a great short film. Screen Education, (89), 86-93.