A Bad Son
Bruno is released from prison. He looks for a job and tries to start a new life. His first stop is at his father's apartment.
The film earned $7.9M at the global box office.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
A Bad Son (1980) showcases deliberately positioned plot construction, characteristic of Claude Sautet's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 50 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.4, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Bruno
Catherine
The Father
The Mother
Main Cast & Characters
Bruno
Played by Patrick Dewaere
A troubled young man struggling with heroin addiction who returns home to reconnect with his estranged family.
Catherine
Played by Yves Robert
Bruno's former girlfriend who still cares for him despite his destructive behavior and attempts to help him recover.
The Father
Played by Brigitte Fossey
Bruno's working-class father who struggles to understand and connect with his troubled son.
The Mother
Played by Claire Maurier
Bruno's mother who tries to maintain peace in the family while dealing with her son's addiction.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Bruno arrives in town, disheveled and desperate, immediately revealing his status as an addict and outsider returning to a world he abandoned.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Bruno's addiction crisis intensifies, forcing him to confront whether he can actually stay clean and rebuild his relationship with his father, or whether he'll relapse and flee again.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 28 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Bruno makes the active choice to commit to staying clean and working with his father, accepting a job and trying to build a new life despite his doubts and cravings., moving from reaction to action.
At 55 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat A false victory: Bruno achieves a moment of genuine acceptance from his father or succeeds at work, making it seem like he's truly beaten his addiction and rebuilt his life, but the underlying tensions remain unresolved., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 83 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Bruno relapses or betrays his father's trust in a devastating way. The death of the dream—the fragile hope that he could be redeemed collapses, and he faces the possibility that he truly is a "bad son" beyond salvation., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 88 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. A moment of clarity or honest confrontation where Bruno sees the truth: he must accept who he is, including his flaws, and his father must choose whether to accept him. The synthesis of love and reality replaces fantasy., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
A Bad Son's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping A Bad Son against these established plot points, we can identify how Claude Sautet utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish A Bad Son within the drama genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Bruno arrives in town, disheveled and desperate, immediately revealing his status as an addict and outsider returning to a world he abandoned.
Theme
Bruno's father or another character expresses the difficulty of truly changing who you are, foreshadowing Bruno's struggle between his addict identity and desire for redemption.
Worldbuilding
Bruno reconnects with his estranged father, a working-class man living a simple life. We see the tension between them, Bruno's withdrawal symptoms, and the world of blue-collar France that he left behind.
Disruption
Bruno's addiction crisis intensifies, forcing him to confront whether he can actually stay clean and rebuild his relationship with his father, or whether he'll relapse and flee again.
Resistance
Bruno wavers between his old life and new possibilities. His father cautiously offers support while protecting himself from disappointment. Bruno debates whether he can truly change or if he's beyond redemption.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Bruno makes the active choice to commit to staying clean and working with his father, accepting a job and trying to build a new life despite his doubts and cravings.
Mirror World
Bruno develops a relationship with a woman or reconnects with old friends who represent the possibility of normalcy, love, and a life beyond addiction—the thematic mirror to his damaged self.
Premise
Bruno experiences the promise of redemption: working alongside his father, building tentative relationships, experiencing moments of genuine connection and the possibility that he could actually belong in this world again.
Midpoint
A false victory: Bruno achieves a moment of genuine acceptance from his father or succeeds at work, making it seem like he's truly beaten his addiction and rebuilt his life, but the underlying tensions remain unresolved.
Opposition
The pressures mount: temptations from his past resurface, his father's doubts emerge, relationships become strained. Bruno's addict behaviors and emotional patterns threaten everything he's built. The walls close in.
Collapse
Bruno relapses or betrays his father's trust in a devastating way. The death of the dream—the fragile hope that he could be redeemed collapses, and he faces the possibility that he truly is a "bad son" beyond salvation.
Crisis
Bruno confronts his deepest shame and self-loathing in the aftermath of his collapse. Both he and his father face the darkness of whether their relationship can survive, whether change is possible, whether forgiveness exists.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
A moment of clarity or honest confrontation where Bruno sees the truth: he must accept who he is, including his flaws, and his father must choose whether to accept him. The synthesis of love and reality replaces fantasy.
Synthesis
Bruno and his father reach a resolution—not a fairy tale ending, but an honest reckoning. Whether through reconciliation, acceptance of limitations, or bittersweet separation, they face their relationship with clear eyes.
Transformation
The final image shows Bruno transformed—not necessarily "cured" but fundamentally changed in his understanding of himself, his father, and what redemption actually means. A quiet, honest moment replaces the desperate arrival.