Todorov Narrative Theory and FilmsTrailers

Who is Tveztan Todorov? 

He was born in 1933 and is currently at the age of 77. He is a Bulgarian and French historian, philosopher, structuralist literary critic, sociologist and also an essayist. He is best known for his contribution to literary theory which he defined as 'Fantastic' in literature. He adopts the word as a term explicitly separates from fantasy. In his theory, he has 'five stages of narratives in film'. Tzvetan wrote several book and essays on 'thought history', 'culture theory' and 'literature theory' publishing a total of 21 books. 

Todorov believes that conventional narratives could be structured into five stages:

1. Equilibrium: this stage provides stability at the start, at a point of time where everything is as it should be.
2. The Disruption: a state when a problem or an even occurs changing the routine of stability.
3. Recognition: the realization that there has been a disruption.
4. Attempt to repair: the characters try to fix the conflict the distribution is causing. 
5. The New Equilibrium: it isn't the original Equilibrium because of the effects the disruption has caused. It is usually reprieved as the new norm.

There are a lot of films that follow this simple Todorov's structure. For example The Mummy, Spider-man and Lord of the Rings all follow a path (Equilibrium, Disequilibrium and New Equilibrium). These type of films tend to be quite satisfying as the endings are usually end on a good note. However, it's important to note that not all films follow this particular structure especially in horror films such as Cube (1997) where six people are inexplicably imprisoned in a booby-trapped system of boxes, with no hope and fewer means of escape, the problem was never truly resolved. 

What modern films follow the five stages?

The trailer for a Divergent (2014) (Science fiction/Dystopian) is a good example for Todorov's theory. It clearly shows the stages in it's plot and features the stages in the trailer. In the plot, the society is different to what we are used to in the real world, they are divided in few groups depending on the family and their talents (that part of the film is the norm of their society). Each person could only be adapted in one group. Instead, the protagonist causes the Disruption by being able to join every group. That ability was dangerous for the 'society' and they attempt to get rid of the protagonist (recognition). The protagonist's life changes at the end of the film which is the New Equilibrium. In the trailer the New Equilibrium isn't shown because it would tell the whole plot of the movie and thus, reducing profits. 

I could use this technique in my own film trailer but I prefer Ronald Barthe's theory for my story telling. I prefer my trailer to be questionable by the audience and even a little abstract-looking. If my trailer would be a film, I wouldn't want it to have a satisfying ending.