Christopher J. Lindsay

Classic films, mystery novels, short stories, short films.

Recent Posts

  • Writing Dialogue with Subtext: La La Land (2016)

    In the film La La Land (2016), there is a scene outside a theater: Mia (Emma Stone) has finished her one-woman play, and her boyfriend Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) has arrived late. Mia’s dialogue in the scene has subtext, and it’s confirmed by her and Sebastian’s actions.

    When Sebastian meets Mia outside the theatre, she is angry. Her play failed to sell enough tickets to break even, and she doesn’t have enough money to pay the theater back, so she says to Sebastian: “It’s over.”

    The obvious meaning of the line is her dream of becoming an actress is “over”, but it also has a second meaning: Her relationship with Sebastian is now “over” too. When she shoves him, it is symbolic of her pushing him out of her life. Sebastian is confused when Mia says, “It’s over” and asks her what that means. In response, she says, “All of this.” When she drives away, and leaves Sebastian on the street, “All of this” includes her acting dream and her relationship with him. With both lines, Mia’s physical actions confirm the subtext.

    In interpreting subtext, we must not let our imagination run wild and make words mean whatever we want them to mean. The subtext in dialogue will often be revealed by connecting the dots with other plot details in the film. When Mia moves to Nevada, she doesn’t give Sebastian a forwarding address, which signals she no longer wants to see him again. In two later scenes, Sebastian plays piano at his sister’s wedding, but Mia is not there as a guest; and when he receives a phone call for her, he tells the caller, “Wrong number.” These plot details show us Mia is no longer part of Sebastian’s life, confirming that she broke up with him outside the theater.  

    The theatre scene in La La Land show us an important technique for writing dialogue with subtext: Write a line with a second meaning that may not be immediately understood by the viewer. The subtext of Mia’s dialogue is confirmed by her physical actions in the scene and what happens in later scenes. When dialogue has subtext that isn’t immediately understood, it compels the viewer to keep watching the film, so they can learn what the second meaning is.

  • The Real Meaning of “Judge Not”

    One of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible is Matthew 7:1 – “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”

    It is frequently interpreted to mean something like this: Don’t judge me! Only God can judge what I do, and no one else.

    A person who reacts this way doesn’t understand the meaning of the word “judge.”

    The Greek word for “judge” in Matthew 7:1 is krínnō. It has multiple meanings including “to discern between good and bad.”

    However, this definition cannot be the correct one for this verse.

    It would be ridiculous to never form a judgement of someone’s actions or behavior. We can’t be morally neutral all the time.

    Suppose a woman discovered her husband was having an affair. Would it be rational for her to say, “Oh, that’s fine, honey. I don’t judge if that is right or wrong.”

    If a politician tells a lie or breaks a promise, are we not to judge that as wrong?

    If someone stole our dog, should we not declare that to be wrong?

    If someone says something racist, are we not to say anything?

    If you read two other verses by Christ, He said that we do need to judge:

    John 7:24 – “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

    Luke 7:43 – “You have judged correctly.”

    There is a long list of actions that we must be able to judge as wrong. What’s more, there are occasions when we must tell someone they have done wrong, especially if it impacts us personally or has hurt someone else.

    A wise person has good judgement; they recognize the difference between right and wrong behavior.

    The Correct meaning of “Judge”

    To understand the correct meaning of “judge not lest ye be judged” we must consider another definition of the word krínnō.

    The word can also mean “to pass sentence on, condemn.” This is a more likely definition, and it is not the same as forming a correct judgement between right and wrong behavior.

    Matthew 7:1 might be better translated as “Condemn not, lest ye be condemned.”

    When Christ said, “judge not”, it is a warning about condemning someone for what they did. Condemn can be defined as “express complete disapproval of, typically in public; censure.”

    If you condemn someone, your words are harsh or extremely critical. You are making a judgement about the whole person based on their actions or behavior.

    When we form a judgement about someone, we should always try to separate the person from their actions or behavior. Even if they did something bad, we should not judge them as a bad person unless they are guilty of serious crimes and feel no remorse.

    The Context of Matthew 7:1

    To understand the correct meaning of “judge not lest yet be judged”, we must also read the verse that follows it.

    Matthew 7:2 says, “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

    When we form a judgement about someone’s actions or behavior, we should be careful in choosing our words. The way we speak to others will impact how they speak to us. If we judge people harshly, sooner or later, we will be judged harshly in return.

    The wrong way to judge someone is to be extremely critical and to have no compassion or mercy when they have done something wrong.

    The right way to judge is to speak to others in the way we would want to be spoken to. This is the Golden Rule. We should speak the truth in love, and sometimes be bold and direct, but never insulting or rude.   

    When we form a judgement of someone, we need to have humility. If a person has sinned against us, we must remember that we have sinned too. As human beings, we are all fallen; we all make mistakes.

    Finally, when we judge another person’s actions or behavior, we must not think we are superior or more virtuous than they are.

    Only God can make judgements like that.

    I wrote the screenplay for this short film on YouTube: