Format: Movie
Released: 2016
Screenplay By: Eric Heisserer
Directed By: Denis Villeneuve
Run Time: 110 minutes
Character: Dr. Louise Banks
Plot summary of the 2016 film Arrival continues below…
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Arrival: Story Structure Analysis
DRAMATIC PHASE ONE: THE SETUP
All of the main characters are introduced. The story world and its mechanics are established. Foundations are laid for the main throughline, subplots and central conflict.
ACT ONE: DEALING WITH AN IMPERFECT SITUATION
A character in an Imperfect Situation faces Oppressive Opposition as he pursues an Initial Goal. But when there is a Disturbance to his routine, he faces a Dilemma regarding his situation, and must assume a New Role.
Emotionally isolated linguist Dr. Louise Banks (the imperfect situation) is seemingly withdrawn after the death of her daughter (oppressive opposition) as she teaches linguistics at a university (initial goal). But when 12 alien spacecrafts land around the world (the disturbance) Louise is approached by the military to help communicate with them (the dilemma) and agrees to go to the landing site to lead the translation team (the new role).
The Imperfect Situation: Dr. Louise Baker would appear to be a widowed linguist whose daughter died in her teens. In actuality, she’s just emotionally isolated.
Initial Goal: Teach linguistics at university (misdirection: Come to terms with the death of her daughter)
Oppressive Opposition: The cruel hand of fate takes her daughter from her. When the aliens arrive the Government appears to be keeping everyone in the dark. When Colonel Weber first approaches Louise he is dismissive of her when she is unable to translate the alien recording.
Turning Point Catalyst – The Disturbance: 4 minutes (3.6%) – Dr. Louise Banks goes to work teaching linguistics and discovers her classroom is nearly empty. When everyone begins receiving text messages she turns on the TV and learns several alien crafts have landed around the world. School is canceled and Louise see fighter jets and car crashes on her way home.
Turning Point One – The Dilemma: 10 minutes (9%) – After returning to work at an empty university, she is approached by Colonel Weber who asks her to translate the alien transmissions. She listens but says she is unable to provide insight off the audio alone. She says she would need to see the aliens and interact with them. Weber tells her if she can’t translate it he’ll go to the next person on the list. She gives him some parting advice.
While sleeping to a muted news channel, Louise is awoken by Weber’s helicopter landing on her lawn. He tells her she got the job. She packs and boards the helicopter.
The New Role: Louise becomes a communicator with an alien species.
Act Run Time: 15 minutes (13.6%)
ACT TWO: LEARNING THE RULES OF AN UNFAMILIAR SITUATION
The character Learns the Rules of an Unfamiliar Situation and faces Incidental Opposition in pursuit of a Transitional Goal. But when he receives a Reality Check, he makes a Commitment to his New Role.
Act Start Time: 15 minutes (13.6%)
Louise travels to Montana to meet the aliens (the unfamiliar situation) and bumps head with other members of the task force and their conflicting methodologies (incidental opposition) as she tries to figure out how to communicate with the aliens (transitional goal). But when she finally sees the aliens face to face and can’t translate their spoken language (the reality check) she tries using written words and elicits a response from the aliens (the commitment).
The Unfamiliar Situation: Louise travels to Montana as a member of a government team tasked with communicating with aliens.
Transitional Goal: Figure out how to communicate with the aliens.
Incidental Opposition: Louise and Ian don’t initially see eye to eye. She meets CIA Agent Halpner who has his own ideas for how the operation should go. Weber wants results immediately but doesn’t want to Let Louise do it her way. She is unable to make sense of the aliens’ spoken language.
Turning Point Catalyst – The Reality Check: 23 Minutes (20.9%) – Louise exits the tent city in her suit, prepared to go into the alien craft for the first time. There’s artificial gravity in unnatural directions. Very disconcerting. There is no real communication with the aliens. They just look at one another. I’m sure we look as weird to them as they do to us.
Turning Point Two – The Commitment: Start Time: 34 Minutes (30.9%) – Louise and Ian return in shock. Weber tells Louise she did better than the last guy and the next session is in 18 hours. Louise can’t gather anything from listening to the audio of the aliens. Captain Marks and others watch news coverage as elsewhere in the world, people begin rioting and looting as fanaticism takes hold. Halpern checks in with his Australian counterpart who says the Aussies also have nothing.
Preparing to suit up for the second expedition, Louise has the obvious genius idea to use a visual aid to communicate with the aliens with written words.
Although skeptical, Weber signs off on her idea. When she shows the aliens the written word for human, the aliens respond with their own writing.
Afterward, Weber criticizes her approach for potentially taking too long. She convinces him otherwise with a lie about kangaroos. He warns her that the aliens have the potential to wipe out humanity, but agrees to continue with her approach.
Act Run Time: 26 minutes (23.6%)
DRAMATIC PHASE TWO: CONFRONTATION
The character is thrown in the middle of the Central Conflict and is placed at direct odds with the forces of antagonism. He undergoes a series of successes and failures as he works toward resolving the main throughline.
ACT THREE: STUMBLING INTO THE CENTRAL CONFLICT
The character stumbles into the Central Conflict and faces Intentional Opposition in pursuit of a False Goal. But when there is a grave Turn of events, he has a Moment of Truth.
Act Start Time: 41 Minutes (37.2%)
Louise goes to work translating the heptapods’ language (the central conflict) while the Chinese threaten to attack the aliens (intentional opposition) before she can determine the nature of the aliens’ intelligence (false goal). But when she begins having strange visions as a result of communicating with the heptapods (the turn) the task force leaders all agree her methods are getting results and decide to continue using them (the moment of truth).
The Central Conflict: Louise vs. translating the alien writing and General Shang’s itchy trigger finger.
False Goal: Determine if the aliens are capable of understanding conscious thought and questions.
Intentional Opposition: Chinese General Shang begins amassing forces at the Shanghai landing site and Halpner warns that whatever Shang does, at least four other nations will follow. By communicating with the aliens Louise begins to become unstuck from time. Captain Marks becomes disgruntled with the military’s handling of the situation.
Turning Point Catalyst – The Turn: 49 minutes (44.5%) – After her first true communication with the aliens, Louise begins having what appear to be flashbacks of her daughter. It appears as though she is suffering from depression from her daughter’s death, but they are actually emotional visions of her own future.
Turning Point Three – The Moment of Truth: Start Time: 50 minutes (45.4%) – She is scolded for removing her suit but the doctor checks her out as unharmed. The doctor discusses this with Weber and Halpern who says it’s the first time they’ve made significant progress. They decide it is all worth the risk and will allow Louise to attempt her method for the time being.
We see Captain Marks has become disgruntled when his wife reveals over the phone how terrified she is.
As she’s studying heptapod, Louise has another vision of her daughter playing near a stream. She pushes it aside and gets to work translating heptapod symbols.
Act Run Time: 11 minutes (10%)
ACT FOUR: IMPLEMENTING A DOOMED PLAN
The character implements a Doomed Plan and faces Self-Inflicted Opposition in pursuit of a Penultimate Goal. But when an unthinkable Lowpoint occurs, he pulls himself together and discovers a Newfound Resolve.
Act Start Time: 52 minutes (47.2%)
Louise begins teaching the aliens English (the doomed plan) at a slow pace that arouses public backlash (self-inflicted opposition) as she tries to learn their purpose on Earth (penultimate goal). But when several mutineers in the soldiers’ ranks bomb the alien craft (the lowpoint) Louise realizes her visions are premonitions that allow her to communicate with the heptapods (the newfound resolve).
The Doomed Plan: Louise’s slow, methodical means of learning how to communicate with the aliens causes the proletariat to accuse the government of doing nothing, as well as a small rebellion among the soldier. Miscommunications cause the Chinese to interpret the aliens’ message as a threat and to prepare to attack them.
Penultimate Goal: Teach the aliens enough written English to discern their purpose on Earth.
Self-Inflicted Opposition: The slow pace of communicating with the aliens is set by Louise against the protests of others.
Turning Point Catalyst – The Lowpoint: 67 minutes (60.9%) – Back at the base, the team argues the meaning of the heptapods’ message of “Offer Weapon”. The secretary of defense calls Colonel Weber. Halpern tries to rationalize the alien text with human history.
Alarms begin to blare in the base. It’s revealed that China and Russia have gone off the grid. Orders come down for the Americans to do the same.
Louise and Ian head back to re-enter their session while the window is still open. Captain Marks and the other disgruntled soldiers break contact with the base and plant a bomb in the heptapod ship. When Louise and Ian arrive, the soldiers try to stop them from entering the ship, but ultimately allow them through. When Weber sends security to investigate the radio silence, the mutineers reveal they have a stash of rifles. Louise uses the heptapod powers to write like they do. Just when they’re about to begin communicating in earnest, the bomb goes off, and Louise and Ian are ejected by the heptapods.
Louise awakens in the medical tent with a concussion while everyone else tries to decipher the last message. Louise tells them they have to go back inside. Weber objects. The aliens take their craft to an unreachable altitude, cutting off the humans’ access to them.
Halpern learns that China is going to take military action against the aliens shortly before the news announces China and several other countries are mobilizing their forces.
Turning Point Four – The Newfound Resolve: Start Time: 80 minutes (72.7%) – Louise and Ian study the last message. Ian cracks the last message while Louise sleeps. It says the Montana heptapods are one of 12. When they take this info to Halpern, he tells them the Russians translated it to something different. Ian says non-zero sum game, which connects to a flashback conversation Louise had with her daughter. As a result, Louise has a vision of what she’s supposed to do. She leaves the meeting and goes back outside.
The aliens send a shuttle down to pick Louise up. When she boards it, she is taken to Costello who reveals that Abbott is dying from the explosion. He tells her that she already has the weapon and to use it. He says the heptapods are there to help humanity because in 3,000 years they will need humanity’s help. He tells Louise the ability to see the future is the weapon. We realize that her visions of her daughter aren’t flashbacks but visions of a future daughter she will have.
Act Run Time: 40 minutes (36.3%)
DRAMATIC PHASE THREE: RESOLUTION
The character and the forces of antagonism engage in a final confrontation to resolve the Central Conflict. The main throughline and all additional subplots are resolved. The new status quo is established.
ACT FIVE: TRYING A LONGSHOT
The character tries a Longshot and faces Ultimate Opposition while trying to accomplish the Ultimate Goal. But just when it seems All is Lost, he makes a Final Push against the forces of antagonism and either succeeds or fails.
Act Start Time: 92 minutes (83.6%)
Louise uses her new time travel powers (the longshot) against the protest and orders of the military and CIA (ultimate opposition) as she tries to stop the Chinese from attacking the aliens (ultimate goal). But when Colonel Weber tells her nothing can be done (all is lost) she has a vision of the future that prompts her to steal a CIA sat phone to call General Shang and change his mind (the final push).
The Longshot: Louise tries to use her newfound understanding of the heptapods’ time travel abilities to stop General Shang from attacking them.
Ultimate Goal: Stop China and its allies from attacking the alien crafts using the aliens’ language.
Ultimate Opposition: Louise goes against her own government and her allies in a race against the ticking clock of the Chinese led assault.
Turning Point Catalyst – All is Lost: 97 minutes (%) – As the base is being evacuated, Louise tries to explain to Weber that learning the heptapod language allows you to see time in the nonlinear fashion they do, and that that is the weapon they are offering. Weber tells her they did their best but it wasn’t enough before leaving her and Ian to board the helicopter.
Turning Point Five – The Final Push: 99 minutes (90%) – Louise flashes to a fancy dress party in the future where she meets General Shang. He tells her he came to the party to meet her specifically. He reveals that it was she who changed his mind and stopped him from starting the war by calling him on his private number and telling him his wife’s dying words. When she tells him she doesn’t know his private number he shows it to her, saying she will need it.
In the present Louise now knows Shang’s number and runs to find a phone to call him. She steals Halpern’s sat phone, prompting him to order a base-wide search for the person making the call. As the soldiers close in on Louise, she tells Shang his wife’s dying words. Halpern and his men are ready to open fire on her, but Ian buys her some time to complete the call.
Act Run Time: 11 minutes (10%)
ACT SIX: LIVING IN A NEW SITUATION
Having accomplished (or failed to have accomplished) the Ultimate Goal, the character is shown living in a New Situation.
Act Start Time: 103 minutes (93.6%)
Louis can now understand heptapod and has come to terms with her daughter life and death as well as her complex relationship with Ian (the new situation).
The New Situation: News stations cut to breaking news that China is standing down and they will share all intelligence with all their allies. Having succeeded in their cause the heptapod ships vanish as quickly as they appeared.
Louise tells her future daughter that her story began when the aliens departed. It is revealed that Ian is Hannah’s father. The two hold each other in the future and the present.
Act Run Time: 7 minutes (6.3%)
To learn more about Six Act story structure, purchase your copy of “Actions and Goals: The Story Structure Secret” today!
Excellent analysis. I’m enjoying your book and it’s clarifying my thought processes as I rewrite several of my screenplays. Thank you very much for all of your insights and your humorous style of writing which makes your book both informative and fun.
Thanks, Jason! The humor has been surprisingly divisive. I never realized how many sticks there were in the mud. Glad to hear the paradigm is helping!