A Monster Calls
12-year-old Conor encounters an ancient tree monster who proceeds to help him cope with his mother's terminal illness and being bullied in school.
Working with a mid-range budget of $43.0M, the film achieved a modest success with $47.3M in global revenue (+10% profit margin).
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 Monster Calls (2016) demonstrates strategically placed dramatic framework, characteristic of J.A. Bayona's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 13-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 48 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Conor O'Malley
The Monster
Lizzie O'Malley
Grandma
Dad
Main Cast & Characters
Conor O'Malley
Played by Lewis MacDougall
A 12-year-old boy struggling with his mother's terminal illness, bullying, and nightmares, who is visited by a supernatural tree monster.
The Monster
Played by Liam Neeson
An ancient yew tree that comes to life to tell Conor three stories and demand the truth from him in return.
Lizzie O'Malley
Played by Felicity Jones
Conor's mother, battling terminal cancer with grace while trying to protect her son from the full weight of her condition.
Grandma
Played by Sigourney Weaver
Conor's strict and emotionally distant grandmother who must prepare to take custody of him.
Dad
Played by Toby Kebbell
Conor's father who moved to America with his new family, struggling to balance his past and present responsibilities.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Conor wakes from a nightmare about his mother falling into a chasm, establishing his fearful world where he's losing her to terminal illness while being bullied at school.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when At 12:07, the ancient yew tree transforms into a massive monster who announces he has come to tell Conor three stories, after which Conor must tell the monster his own truth—his nightmare.. 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 27 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Conor violently attacks Harry after being pushed too far, beating him brutally—a choice that marks his descent into confronting his rage and inner darkness., moving from reaction to action.
At 54 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat Conor's mother collapses during his father's visit, and we see her severely weakened in the hospital—a false hope shatters as the experimental treatment is clearly failing., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 81 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, After destroying his grandmother's sitting room in rage, Conor sits in the wreckage and says "I don't care anymore"—his emotional death as he retreats into numbness rather than face his pain., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 86 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Armed with his acknowledged truth, Conor races to the hospital, tells his mother he doesn't want her to go, holds her hand, and gives her permission to let go as she peacefully dies at 12:07., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
A Monster Calls's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 13 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping A Monster Calls against these established plot points, we can identify how J.A. Bayona utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish A Monster Calls within the fantasy genre.
J.A. Bayona's Structural Approach
Among the 3 J.A. Bayona films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.3, reflecting strong command of classical structure. A Monster Calls takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete J.A. Bayona filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional fantasy films include Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Conan the Barbarian and Batman Forever. For more J.A. Bayona analyses, see The Orphanage, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Conor wakes from a nightmare about his mother falling into a chasm, establishing his fearful world where he's losing her to terminal illness while being bullied at school.
Theme
Conor's grandmother tells him "You'll have a lot to get used to," hinting at the film's central theme: accepting painful truths and the necessity of letting go.
Worldbuilding
We establish Conor's fractured world: his terminally ill mother undergoing treatment, his strict grandmother, his absent father in America, school bullies led by Harry, and Conor's escape into drawing and fairy tales.
Disruption
At 12:07, the ancient yew tree transforms into a massive monster who announces he has come to tell Conor three stories, after which Conor must tell the monster his own truth—his nightmare.
Resistance
The Monster begins guiding Conor through moral complexity with the first tale about a prince and a witch-queen, while Conor's mother's condition worsens and he resists the painful reality closing in.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Conor violently attacks Harry after being pushed too far, beating him brutally—a choice that marks his descent into confronting his rage and inner darkness.
Mirror World
Conor's father arrives from America, representing the alternative life Conor fantasizes about but which will ultimately teach him he cannot escape his reality.
Premise
The Monster delivers two morally ambiguous tales while Conor navigates escalating tensions: his mother's deteriorating health, his father's limitations, his grandmother's coldness, and his own growing rage and desperation.
Midpoint
Conor's mother collapses during his father's visit, and we see her severely weakened in the hospital—a false hope shatters as the experimental treatment is clearly failing.
Opposition
Pressure mounts from all sides: Conor's father reveals he cannot take him to America, his grandmother prepares to become his guardian, and his mother's death becomes imminent as treatment options run out.
Collapse
After destroying his grandmother's sitting room in rage, Conor sits in the wreckage and says "I don't care anymore"—his emotional death as he retreats into numbness rather than face his pain.
Crisis
Conor sits in darkness with his grief until the Monster arrives for the final time, demanding the truth of Conor's nightmare as his mother is rushed to the hospital.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Armed with his acknowledged truth, Conor races to the hospital, tells his mother he doesn't want her to go, holds her hand, and gives her permission to let go as she peacefully dies at 12:07.