Claude Levi-Strauss believed in the theory of good vs. evil in every film plot. He called this theory 'Binary opposites'. Other examples of binary opposites are rich vs.poor, healthy vs. ill.
So, for example, a hero's traits would consist of:
Brave, strong, good, courageous, male, white, western, bright costume and they stereotypically win.
Whereas, the binary opposite would be evil:
Scared, weak, bad, cunning, manipulative, female, dark/black costume and they often lose the battle/fight.
In the 1970's western films, an example of binary opposites is homesteaders and native Americans:
Homesteaders- christian, domestic, weak, garden, inside society
Native Americans- pagan, savage, strong, wilderness , outside society
Into context, in our film opening we experience binary opposites between the characters, firstly, the difference between Jack and Nancy's friends boyfriend. Jack is psychotic and controlling to the point he cause anxiety and fear for Nancy whereas Nancy's friends boyfriend is caring, considerate and aware of Nancy's danger.
So, for example, a hero's traits would consist of:
Brave, strong, good, courageous, male, white, western, bright costume and they stereotypically win.
Whereas, the binary opposite would be evil:
Scared, weak, bad, cunning, manipulative, female, dark/black costume and they often lose the battle/fight.
In the 1970's western films, an example of binary opposites is homesteaders and native Americans:
Homesteaders- christian, domestic, weak, garden, inside society
Native Americans- pagan, savage, strong, wilderness , outside society
Into context, in our film opening we experience binary opposites between the characters, firstly, the difference between Jack and Nancy's friends boyfriend. Jack is psychotic and controlling to the point he cause anxiety and fear for Nancy whereas Nancy's friends boyfriend is caring, considerate and aware of Nancy's danger.