"Invictus" & Suspense!!!

Yesterday I went to see "INVICTUS" alone, by myself. I left the theater feeling disappointed. Feling like the trailer moved me more than the actual film. I've since been pondering what went wrong, and then something occured to me.

This movie lacks suspense.

Suspense, simply put, is doubt as to whether or not the hero(es) will succeed, prevail, triumph, accomplish his/her goal(s), etc. And in a story like "Invictus," doubt especially needs to come from the characters. Because if we're invested in characters that doubt themselves and the goal(s) they've set out to accomplish, we doubt their ability to succeed. And then we find ourselves worrying about them and rooting for them to find the ark, win the girl, win the world cup, or whatever. The esteemed Michael Urban once told me, "we go to movies to worry about the characters." Therein lies my problem with "Invictus."

For one, Mandela barely doubts his ability to lead and unite his country. It's kind of touched on in the beginning, but never really explored. He also never seems to doubt that the Springboks will defy all odds and win it all. He is strangely confident about this improbable mission, almost as if he's clairvoyant or something. I understand that perhaps Mandela exudes greatness to inspire greatness in others, but we need to see his other side. The shadow. The side of his conciousness that surfaces when he's alone and says, "I am so fucked." The same goes for Francois. He never doubts his ability to lead and inspire his team to achieve the impossible, nor does he ever really seem to doubt the Springboks' chances of winning. We don't see or feel his fear of letting down Mandela, not to mention his hot girlfriend, his parents, and his entire country. Dude, MANDELA just ordered your ass to win the world cup. That's serious fucking pressure. So, show us! Tell us with voice over! Shit, do something! South Africa's extremely slim odds of success are talked about, but never really felt. Actually the only character who doubts them is this sportscaster guy, but he's kind of sleazy and bitter toward Francois, which communicates to us that he's a jerk and he's wrong. Therefore, we don't worry, and the ending feels like a foregone conclusion. We just watch shit happen, and sit around waiting for that climactic scene when a thicker Matt Damon hoists the trophy over inspirational chant music and we all get to cry and be moved.

"Invictus" reinforced something that's worth repeating. Suspense is absolutely essential to telling a good story in any genre. If the audience doesn't doubt the outcome, they will get bored. And if they went to the movie alone, during the daytime, and sat near a weird, Venice-y guy who wouldn't stop sneezing and blowing his nose, they'll just sit around thinking about how pathetic and lonely their lives are.