The Bookshop  
(324)  
6.4  
1h 53min  
2018  
X-Ray  
PG  
In 1950s English town, a free-spirited widow follows her lifelong dream by opening a bookshop, spurring a cultural awakening over the objections of conservative locals.
 
Genres Drama  
Director Isabel Coixet  
Starring Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy, Patricia Clarkson
 
# Determine the genre

drama
 
# Identity protagonist's quest and character arc

The protagonist is Mrs. Green who years before the events of the movie has become a widow. She loves books and reading was an important part to her marriage, which was happy.
 
Her antogonists are many including the banker and her lawyer. But the main one is Mrs. ?, the old, rich lady who wants to use the "old house" for her own purposes.
 
## Quest and arc

The quest of Mrs. Green is to open a bookshop and to keep it open. She beings as a widow still mourning 16 years after her husbands death--not profusely, but in the sense that she isn't "doing" anything with her life. This changes when she decides to open the shop by buying the "old house" in downtown of the town she lives in.
 
Part of her arc is a rare (for anyone) invitation to Mr. ? 's house where he lays out the forces of resistance against her (in a sympathetic way). She shows expresses courage, as if deciding there to have it, to resist these forces without fear. This seems to revive something in Mr. ?.
 
## Point of view

There is a narrator, but the story is from a first-person point of view. We follow Mrs. Green and only see what she sees, except when the narrator gives us information she doesn't know at the time. The narrator is not Mrs. Green, but knows everything about her. I guess this is the omniscient perspective then.
 
# Inciting Incident

The inciting incident seems to be when Mrs. Green decides to open the bookstore. Suddenly, the whole town knows about it (especially that she's buying the old house for it and living there). This sets the whole town abuzz and especially agitates Mrs. ?.
 
What does the protagonist want? Mrs. Green wants to open the store and keep it open.
 
# Progressive complications

First, she has to overcome her own malaise of her life after her husband has died. Not much time is spent on this except to basically mention it at the start of the movie. This is an inner conflict. She will also experience an inner conflict to remain courageous and determined as the personal conflicts mount.
 
Second, she experiences a general resistance to her intentions and progress in owning, living in and rehabilitating the old house from various members of the village--especially, passively aggressively expressed by Mrs. ? At the party. This is the beginning of many personal conflicts.
 
Third, she experiences resistance and doubt from the banker and her lawyer who we learn are being influenced by Mrs. ?.
 
Fourth, she begins to receive more open hostility from Mrs. ? through her lawyer who has correspondence concerning street congestion.
 
Fifth, she learns that a rival bookstore has opened. She does not yet know that this is a venture of Mrs. ? to drive her out of business and out of the old house. Her banker condescendingly mentions how little cash she has on hand and that there is a buyer for the old house. She rejects this offer.
 
# Identify the Crisis

This may be the opening of the rival bookstore, but I don't know yet--need to finish the film.
 
## Crisis decision

Don't know yet…although so far it seems she will choose to keep the bookshop open no matter what.
 
# Identify the climax
 
# Identify the resolution
 
# Determine the plot type
 
# Identify the controlling idea
 
# Determine the worldview
 
## Nature of God

So far, the film doesn't seem to comment on God except through the omission of anything having to do with Him. If anything, the character is positioned in such a way as to say "she will only succeed through her own determination".
 
## Nature of mankind

One thing the film explicitly says about human nature is that there are (can't remember the exact word) destroyers and those who are destroyed, but Mrs. Green did not realize this, or refuses to believe it.