Video Essay Uses NIGHTCRAWLER To Explain How Protagonists Don't Always Have to Be Likable

Michael from YouTube's Lessons From The Screenplay just alerted me to a new video essay he created, and it centers on one of my favorite movies of 2014. Dan Gilroy's seedy thriller Nightcrawler is a terrific showcase for Jake Gyllenhaal's talents as an actor and Gilroy's stylish directing skills, but it's also a wonderful example of a movie that focuses on an incredibly unlikable protagonist. Gyllenhaal's Lou Bloom does some despicable things in the film, but this video dives into the reasons the audience still cares enough about him to stick around instead of just bailing when the going gets tough. Check it out:

The protagonist of Nightcrawler is motivated, clever, and a sociopath - and despite him taking unforgivable actions, the audience stays engaged in the story. Why? This video analyzes how to create empathy for an antihero.