STORY STUDY - MEDIUM: FILM - “Up in the Air”
Imagine if you were to go into a private meeting for your company and you got fired. It’s not from your boss or even your supervisor who fired you; it’s a complete random stranger.
This is the reality of Ryan Bingham, the main character of the 2009 film, Up in the Air.
Directed by Jason Reitman, co-written by Reitman and Sheldon Turner, and based on the novel by Walter Kirn, Up in the Air, the film is about Bingham, who works for a human resources consultancy firm. What does he do for this firm? He goes around the U.S. firing people for companies who hired his company for termination services. He is content with travelling around on his own doing his job, and is also a motivational speaker (you figure out how that works: “I fire people, and I also have time to do the Tony Robbins thing.) As a frequent flier, his goal is to hit 10 million miles.
Along the way, he meets another frequent flier, Alex, who he has a casual relationship with throughout the film.
However, his goal and happiness is threatened when a new employee at his firm, Natalie, has an idea to conduct all layoffs via webcam, saving travel fees and giving the employees the opportunity to be with their families more often.
Ryan objects to this to his boss, but he tells him that the transition will happen. In the meantime, he allows Ryan to continue to work the way he prefers it. However, he orders Ryan to bring Natalie with him so she can understand how the process works, from the firm’s side and the side of the fired employees they encounter.
As you can tell, there’s not really much in terms of plot. It really is about Ryan and Natalie wandering around the country, both ultimately learning a lesson; Ryan learning the importance in connecting with people (especially his family) and Natalie learning the harsh reality of the job to the point where her being able to deal with it is questionable.
It’s because of this minimal amount of plot that made me realize that any movie can work, whether the plot is obviously present or not. This let me also realize that when writing characters and their journeys, the story will unfold as well. It’s this reason why Up in the Air is one of the two movies that defines me (in this case, as a writer.)
Back when it was released, I had no desire to see it. The only reason why I did was because I was outvoted by friends. By the end of it, I loved it, even though it took me a while to realize it.
Don’t be like me.
Give it a chance, and take flight.
