I recently watched a movie called The Good Guy. The movie popped up in my Netflix suggestions, and I figured I would watch it. I don’t want to ruin the movie for anyone, so spoiler alert for anyone who doesn’t want to know the ending! Most of the movie was seen from either Beth’s (the main character played by Alexis Bledel) or Daniel’s (the guy she eventually falls in love with) point of view. The audience never suspects anything about Beth’s boyfriend Scott’s behavior because we are only shown what Beth knows.
The limited perspective causes the audience to view Scott as a great guy who truly loves Beth. We see the way he treats her with the utmost respect. Then, we experience a slight paradigm shift. We begin seeing the story from Daniel’s point of view. He is truly a wonderful person. He begins working for Scott and soon falls for Beth. We begin to see suspicious behavior from Daniel’s perspective indicating Scott’s infidelity. These suspicions culminate with an extreme paradigm shift where we see the entire situation from Scott’s point of view.
Previously, we had only known part of Scott’s behavior--that which he showed Beth. When we begin seeing everything through Scott’s eyes, we understand he is leading a double life with another woman. All of the subtle hints that had been strategically placed throughout the story suddenly connect to enlighten the audience about the dynamics of the scenario. The Good Guy taught me a great deal about perspective and point of view.
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