If newbie writers know one thing, it's that protagonists have to be sad. Because protagonists have to be flawed, right? Well, having a shitty life

is a flaw. And of course, characters must have horrible things happen to them so they can be pushed into action, that is, the story. That's what all the screenwriting books say – to pile crap and misfortune on your main character, thus making their inevitable triumph all the sweeter. So of course the protagonist must spend all of Act 1 moping and complaining about this misfortune so that we can see how much it's affecting her.