The Power of Your Story in ‘The 25th Hour’

The Call to Adventure: The End as a Beginning

Monty Brogan stands at the edge of his life as he knows it. Tomorrow, he will surrender his freedom and begin a prison sentence. His friends, Jacob and Frank, look out over the river and murmur, “it’s over.” But is it? Or is this, in truth, the beginning of a new story—one not yet written, one that Monty, and each of us, can choose to tell differently?

In my work guiding creative professionals and seekers through The Hero’s Journey, I always begin with this question: What story are you telling yourself about your life right now? Is it a story of endings, or of new beginnings? Is it a tale of victimhood, or of agency and possibility?

Monty’s last day of freedom is lived in a heightened state of awareness. Every moment is saturated with meaning: the walk with his dog, the embrace of his lover, the words with his father, the laughter and sorrow with his friends. He is acutely aware of the story he’s been living—a story of choices, mistakes, and consequences. But he is also, perhaps for the first time, aware that he is the author of this story, and that even now, at the edge of loss, he can choose how to inhabit it.

The Old Story: Mistakes, Regret, and the Weight of the Past

We all have our old stories. For Monty, it is the story of a smart young man who made a series of decisions—some out of necessity, some out of pride, some out of fear—that led him to the world of drug dealing. He tells himself, and those around him, that he made mistakes: getting into the business, staying too long, trusting the wrong people, believing he could hide his secrets.

His father, wracked with guilt, tells his own story: that his drinking and debts forced Monty down this path. Naturelle, his girlfriend, lives a story of love and exclusion, standing by him but feeling shut out from his inner life. Jacob and Frank, his friends, each live their own stories—of longing, of freedom, of carelessness and regret.

These are the stories we all carry: stories of what we did, what we failed to do, who we hurt, who we loved, and who we lost. Stories that explain, justify, or condemn. Stories that can trap us, or—if we dare—set us free.

“Your story is your life,” I remind my fellow travelers. “But your story is not set in stone. It can be rewritten. It can be transformed. The end of one chapter is the beginning of another.”

Crossing the Threshold: The Last Day

Monty’s last day is a journey through the landscape of his life. Each encounter is a threshold, an invitation to see with new eyes. He says goodbye to his dog, entrusting him to Jacob—a gesture of hope, of continuity. He makes love to Naturelle, but feels the distance between them—a chasm of secrets and pain. He joins his friends for one last night out, navigating the currents of memory and regret.

In the Hero’s Journey, this is the crossing of the threshold—the moment when the hero steps out of the known world and into the unknown. For Monty, the unknown is prison. For each of us, the unknown is the future—the story not yet lived.

But notice: even as Monty faces the loss of everything he has known, he is alive to the beauty and pain of each moment. He is present. He is awake. This is the first step to rewriting your story: to see it clearly, to feel it fully, to own it as yours.

The Ordeal: The Mirror and the Truth

One of the film’s most powerful scenes is Monty’s confrontation with himself in the mirror. He unleashes a torrent of anger and blame—at the city, at every group, at every person, and finally, at himself. This is the ordeal, the dark night of the soul. This is the moment when the old story reaches its breaking point.

“Haven’t we all felt that way?” the narrator asks. Yes. We have all stood before the mirror and raged at the world, only to discover that our anger is, in truth, directed at ourselves.

This is the moment of reckoning. The moment when you see that the story you have been telling—of blame, of victimhood, of inevitability—is just that: a story. And stories can be changed.

The Allies and the Shadows

Monty is not alone on his journey. His friends, his lover, his father—each is an ally, a mirror, a shadow. Jacob, the shy teacher, faces his own temptations and fears. Frank, the brash trader, hides his pain behind bravado. Naturelle, loving but wounded, waits on the threshold of forgiveness and loss. Each character is on their own hero’s journey, wrestling with their own stories.

In the Hero’s Journey, the hero is never truly alone. Allies appear, sometimes in unlikely forms. Shadows emerge, challenging us to confront the parts of ourselves we would rather ignore. The journey is both solitary and communal. Our stories are woven together, each shaping and being shaped by the others.

The Road Back: The Father’s Offer

As dawn breaks, Monty’s father drives him north, toward prison. But as they pass under the freeway sign, his father offers a different story: “We could just keep driving. Start over. Find a new town, a new name, a new life.” For a moment, the film paints this alternate reality so vividly that we, like Monty, are tempted to believe it.

This is the road back—the moment when the hero is offered a way out, a chance to escape fate. But Monty knows that stories cannot be undone, only lived through. He chooses to face his destiny, to pay his debt, to walk into the unknown with his eyes open.

The New Story: Acceptance, Agency, and the Freedom to Live

What, then, is the new story that Monty can tell? It is not a story of escape, or denial, or magical transformation. It is a story of acceptance, of responsibility, of agency. Monty cannot change the past, but he can choose how to live the present, and how to shape the future.

This is the essence of The Power of Your Story: to recognize that, whatever has happened, you are the storyteller. You can choose to tell a story of defeat, or a story of resilience. A story of endings, or a story of new beginnings. A story of regret, or a story of redemption.

“A life story is written in chalk, not ink, and it can be changed,” as another storyteller reminds us4 6.

In the classic Hero’s Journey, the hero returns from the ordeal with a gift—a boon, a lesson, a new way of being. For Monty, the gift is hard-won: the knowledge that even in loss, there is dignity. Even in endings, there is meaning. Even in darkness, there is the possibility of light.

For each of us, the gift is the same: the realization that our stories are ours to tell. That we can, at any moment, begin again. That we can rewrite the narrative, not by denying the past, but by choosing how we move forward.

The Power of Your Story: An Invitation

As you read this, I invite you to pause and ask yourself:

What story am I telling about my life right now?
Is it a story that serves me, or one that holds me back?
Where am I at the edge of an ending, and what new beginning is possible?
What allies and shadows accompany me on my journey?
What is the ordeal I must face, and what truth waits for me in the mirror?
What gift can I bring back to the world from my journey?

Remember: your story is your life. But your story is not fixed. It can be edited, rewritten, transformed. The power to do so is yours.

Living the Hero’s Journey: Lessons from Monty Brogan

Monty Brogan’s story, like all great stories, is both unique and universal. It is the story of a man at the end of one life, and the beginning of another. It is the story of regret and hope, of endings and beginnings, of loss and redemption.

But it is also your story, and mine. We are all, at some point, called to face the consequences of our choices. We all stand before the mirror, reckoning with the stories we have lived. We all have the power to choose: to accept, to change, to begin again.

So, as you walk through your own 25th hour—whatever form it takes—remember that you are the hero of your own journey. You are the author of your own story. And the story is not over. Not yet.

The Journey Continues

In my work with The Power of Your Story and The Hero’s Journey, I have seen again and again the transformation that is possible when we dare to see ourselves as the heroes of our own lives. When we recognize that our stories are not prisons, but pathways. When we choose, again and again, to write new chapters.

Monty Brogan’s journey does not end with the prison gates. Nor does yours end with any single loss or failure. The journey continues, as long as you are willing to live it. The power is yours.

Will you answer the call? Will you face the ordeal? Will you return with the gift?

The story is yours to tell.

Peter de Kuster
Founder, The Hero’s Journey & The Power of Your Story
Let’s rewrite your story together. The world is waiting.

If Monty Brogan’s journey—and your own—has stirred something within you, if you sense that the story you are living is ready for a new chapter, I invite you to take the next step: story coaching with Peter de Kuster.

As the founder of The Hero’s Journey and The Power of Your Story, I help creative professionals, leaders, and seekers from all walks of life to get to the root of their personal and professional narratives. Together, we will explore your past and present stories, uncover blind spots, and create new, reality-based stories that inspire you to action and transformation.

What can you expect from story coaching with Peter de Kuster?

Deep, confidential conversations designed to bring clarity to your life and work
Creative, interactive sessions that help you discover your authentic leadership, motivation, and meaning
Tailored guidance to rewrite dysfunctional stories and unlock your full potential
Practical tools to structure and direct your goals, skills, and experiences into a coherent, empowering narrative
An approach that blends profound storytelling expertise with real-world business and life insight

Whether you are at a crossroads, seeking to reimagine your career, or longing to live a more meaningful story, story coaching offers you the chance to spend concentrated time on yourself, deepening your insight and preparing for your next adventure.

How to begin?
You can book your one-on-one coaching session—virtual or in-person—by reaching out directly. Sessions are available globally, and all details will be tailored to your needs. For more information or to reserve your place, email peterdekuster2023@gmail.com

Your story is your life. Let’s rewrite it together. The world is waiting for your next chapter.