Between the Lines: Charlie Kaufman

Charlie Kaufman’s screenplays will mess with your head. They’re filled with neurotic characters spouting existentially-charged dialogue, all wrapped in surreal plots. Even though Kaufman’s work seems entirely original, it is important to remember that it is steeped in traditional screenwriting techniques and Jungian philosophy. For every “inciting incident” (a plot device that pushes the narrative forward), there’s an underlying theme, another internal “incident” that further develops the main and supporting characters. His stories aren’t just about one person’s wants, needs, and conflict resolution, either; they expound on how individual conflicts connect to the world as a whole, how the personal unconscious weaves in and out of the collective. Suffice to say, if Kaufman ever has you scratching your head, there’s a method to his madness. Whether we’re talking Being John Malkovich, Adaptation., or any of his other one-of-a-kind tales, Kaufman has a knack for deconstructing traditional screenwriting concepts a