# Mystery — Genre

> Films centered on solving a puzzle or uncovering hidden truth.

## Defining elements

- Question audience wants answered
- Clues distributed
- Investigation as plot
- Reveal as climax
- Logic + intuition

## Sub-genres

| Sub-genre | Example |
|-----------|---------|
| Whodunit | Knives Out |
| Detective procedural | Zodiac |
| Cozy mystery | Knives Out |
| Conspiracy | All the President's Men |
| Locked room | And Then There Were None |
| Amateur sleuth | Pride and Prejudice with mystery |
| Hard-boiled | Chinatown |
| Psychological mystery | Memento |

## Structural conventions

### The crime / question
- Established early
- Stakes clear
- Audience wants answer

### Investigation
- Detective/protagonist seeks truth
- Evidence collected
- Suspects examined
- Red herrings

### Reveal
- Truth uncovered
- Often in third act
- Recontextualizes everything
- Logical (in retrospect)

### Justice / aftermath
- Resolution beyond just answer
- Cost of investigation
- Truth's consequences

## Voice / Style

### Visual
- Investigation tactile (boards, photos, files)
- Locations as clues
- Lighting often noir-influenced
- Detail emphasized

### Pacing
- Slower than thriller
- Build through accumulation
- Reveal moments
- Patience rewarded

### Dialogue
- Interviews with suspects
- Detective's deduction
- Lies and withholding
- Subtext crucial

## Mystery mechanics

### Fair play (Knox's commandments)
Classic mystery rules:
- No supernatural unless established
- No previously unknown poisons
- No secret rooms unhinted
- Detective doesn't commit crime
- All clues available to reader/viewer

Modern: bend these but reward audience.

### Clues + red herrings
- Real clues planted
- Misleading false leads
- Audience tracks both
- Reveal honors planting

### POV control
- Detective's POV (audience knows what they know)
- OR omniscient (audience ahead/behind)
- Each works differently

### The reveal
- All pieces fit
- Logic inevitable in retrospect
- Suspect identified
- Method explained

## Sample mystery scene

```
INT. POLICE STATION INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY

DETECTIVE NIGAR (38), sharp eyes, sits across from RAMIN (45),
the victim's business partner. Their second interview.

RAMIN
I told you everything yesterday.

NIGAR
Then today should be quick.

She places a photograph between them. The crime scene.

NIGAR
You said you arrived at 9:15.

RAMIN
That's right.

NIGAR
The doorman saw you at 8:45.

RAMIN
He's mistaken.

NIGAR
He's not. We have video.

Pause. Ramin's jaw tightens.

RAMIN
I don't remember exactly.

NIGAR
Half an hour. That's a meaningful difference.

She places another photograph. The victim's appointment book.

NIGAR
Especially since this says he had a meeting at 9:00 with someone
whose name was crossed out. Hard.

Ramin doesn't look at the photo.

NIGAR
Take your time.

She waits. Long beat.

RAMIN (quiet)
I want a lawyer.

She nods. Stands. As she reaches the door:

NIGAR
Did you cross out the name yourself? Or did someone else?

He doesn't answer.

She leaves. The door closes.

In the hallway, her CAPTAIN waits.

CAPTAIN
He didn't crack.

NIGAR
He confirmed it.

CAPTAIN
How?

NIGAR
He didn't ask whose name was crossed out.

She walks past. The pieces are clicking together.
```

This works through:
- Specific clues (timing, video, appointment book)
- Subtle reveals (he didn't ask = he knew)
- Tension without action
- Detective competence
- Audience puzzles along

## Common mistakes

- Solution unprepared (cheating audience)
- Too many red herrings (audience confused)
- Detective without method
- Reveal info-dump
- Suspect revealed late (no setup)
- Generic detective
- Convenient evidence

## Best mystery films reference

- Knives Out (modern whodunit)
- Zodiac (procedural)
- Chinatown (noir mystery)
- Memento (psychological)
- The Usual Suspects (twist)
- Prisoners (dark)
- Gone Girl (genre-bending)
- The Silence of the Lambs (psychological)

## When to write mystery

- Audience loves puzzles
- Character-driven detective
- Streaming hit potential
- Festival + commercial
- Strong reveal-friendly story
- Adaptation potential (books)

## Combination with other genres

- Mystery + Thriller = Mystery thriller (Gone Girl)
- Mystery + Comedy = Cozy mystery (Knives Out)
- Mystery + Horror = Mystery horror (The Wicker Man)
- Mystery + Sci-fi (Annihilation)
- Mystery + Drama (Manchester by the Sea has mystery element)
- Mystery + Crime (Zodiac)
