Patrizia has grand ambitions. From the first moments she appears on screen, the audience knows that she’s itching to escape the confines of her current situation. It’s just by happenstance that she soon meets a young man at a party named Maurizio, who happens to be a Gucci.

House of Gucci follows Patrizia as she marries into the Gucci family and how her unmitigated desires unravel the legacy of Gucci, threatening to destroy the brand and the lives of the company's heirs along the way. What Patrizia ultimately longs for is to succeed at “what she wants” — a desire she relates to a television psychic. And what she wants is to be a part of the success of Gucci by guiding a reluctant Maurizio to wrestle control of the company and drive out the problems she sees standing in her way.

House of Gucci was written by Becky Johnston and Roberto Bentivegna, based on Sara Gay Forden’s book House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed. The film, which is directed by Ridley Scott, stars Lady Gaga as Patrizia, Adam Driver as Maurizio, along with Jared Leto, Al Pacino, and Jeremy Irons to round out the family.

Here are your five screenwriting takeaways from the sensational House of Gucci.

1. Universal truths

If there’s one thing that pushes the connection between the audience and the story, it’s the universal truth. For House of Gucci, there are plenty to choose from. One example is the desire to escape your life. This is one thing that everyone can relate to in some capacity and why the viewer is interested in following Patrizia’s ambitions of escaping her lifestyle to become part of a wealthy family. Patrizia’s father is successful, yet Maurizio’s father (Irons) scoffs upon hearing about the business her family owns. Her family’s success isn’t enough for her.

Other universal truths that connect the audience to the characters and situations in House of Gucci include: The dynamic between father and son, living in the past versus looking into the future, the desire to preserve a family legacy, and the sense of betrayal.

What Gucci does well is show that movies don’t need a single universal truth; it can change based on character and scene.

2. Who is Patrizia and what does she want?

Patrizia is driven and she will stop at nothing to find her success. In the first scene, the audience is introduced to Patrizia as someone who dresses sexy yet ignores ogling men at her father’s grand transportation business as she crosses the lot and enters the office. This shows her confidence and that she’s not one to cower. Later that night, she’s at a party and by pure coincidence meets Maurizio. From this point on, Patrizia pursues Maurizio obsessively until she ultimately gets what she wants.

From these first few scenes, the audience understands who Patrizia is, but the film also does a good job at making the audience guess what she wants. Maurizio wants nothing to do with the Gucci legacy, desires to be a lawyer, and is happy working for Patrizia’s father; something that she accepts.

While all seems fine, Patrizia’s ambitions aren’t calmed. The more she experiences the world of Gucci, the more she wants to play a role in its legacy.

Writers can see how the screenwriters created a complex character and could find a way to bury her ambitions until she couldn’t hold them down any longer — it’s a great way to present a compelling internal conflict.

3. Intersecting arcs

The movie’s lead character is Patrizia and her arc takes her from the start of her desire to be a part of the Gucci family through its eventual downfall. The story reveals how she changes as more responsibility for the company lands on Maurizio’s plate, and her desire to control the company alongside him.

What about Maurizio’s arc? Most characters do have one, although it’s not as prominent as the lead character in a film. In House of Gucci, Maurizio’s arc moves mostly along with Patrizia’s. When we first meet him, he’s timid and more willing to do what Patrizia pushes him to do.

At some point though, what started out as Maurizio’s reluctance to be a part of the company turns into the obligation to control the fate of the organization, and Patrizia’s ambitions are challenged, leading to the line, “You didn’t marry a monster. You married a Gucci.”

Writers can observe how the story uses the two main arcs that change over the course of several years and cause an increasing level of conflict as personalities evolve. 

4. What can you not escape?

What’s a reliable way to challenge a character? Make them do something they don’t want to do and put them into a position they can’t escape. Whether it’s love, family, home or a professional role, it’s hard to turn away from the things that seem important in life.

In the film Belfast, the focus is on a family that can’t escape the violence erupting in their community. In House of Gucci, Maurizio can’t escape his family. From the very beginning, he fights to not be a part of the designer brand. His desire is to be a lawyer and, when his father rejects his idea of marrying Patrizia, he removes himself from the family.

But he can’t escape. Patrizia won’t allow it and his Uncle Aldo (Pacino) insists he be a part of his family’s legacy — somewhat akin to Pacino’s Corleone character who states, “Just when I think I’m out, they pull me back in.”

Life isn’t as easy as making the decision to quit. The film's screenwriters use the relatable pressures of life to force characters into inescapable positions. It’s not easy to escape in real life. In movies, it has to be even harder.

5. The mastermind

There’s been a lot of focus throughout this blog on Maurizio’s life and how it’s changed by Patrizia, yet she is the lead character. One reason is that she is the mastermind behind the story. It’s her that pushes Maurizio to make decisions that benefit her and the Gucci brand. When it comes to manipulation, whether it’s toward Paolo (Leto), Maurizio or Aldo, Patrizia is the one pulling the strings.

Writers take note of how a powerful and cunning character can help drive the direction of the story by their ambitions.

House of Gucci is currently in theaters.