After Everything
Besieged by writer’s block and the crushing breakup with Tessa, Hardin travels to Portugal in search of a woman he wronged in the past – and to find himself. Hoping to win back Tessa, he realizes he needs to change his ways before he can make the ultimate commitment.
The film underperformed commercially against its tight budget of $14.0M, earning $10.6M globally (-24% loss).
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%)
After Everything (2023) exemplifies deliberately positioned dramatic framework, characteristic of Castille Landon's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 33 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.3, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Hardin Scott
Tessa Young
Natalie
Trish Scott
Ken Scott
Landon Gibson
Main Cast & Characters
Hardin Scott
Played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin
A brooding British writer living in isolation in Portugal, haunted by his past relationship with Tessa and struggling to complete his manuscript while seeking redemption and self-forgiveness.
Tessa Young
Played by Josephine Langford
Hardin's former love who has moved forward with her life and is now engaged to someone else. She maintains firm boundaries while acknowledging their shared past.
Natalie
Played by Kiana Madeira
A woman Hardin meets during his journey who represents the possibility of new beginnings and moving forward beyond his past.
Trish Scott
Played by Louise Lombard
Hardin's supportive and loving mother who provides unconditional love and encourages him to seek forgiveness and make amends.
Ken Scott
Played by Peter Gallagher
Hardin's father who has worked to rebuild their relationship, representing redemption through sustained effort.
Landon Gibson
Played by Chance Perdomo
Hardin's stepbrother and loyal friend who provides perspective and emotional support throughout his journey.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Hardin is living in Portugal, isolated and struggling to write his next novel. He's haunted by his past with Tessa, working in solitude by the ocean.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when Hardin's publisher gives him an ultimatum: finish the book or lose the contract. Simultaneously, he receives word that Tessa is getting married to someone else.. 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 23 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Hardin makes the active decision to return to London to seek closure and finish his book. He boards a plane, choosing to confront his past rather than hide from it., moving from reaction to action.
At 46 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 49% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat Hardin encounters Tessa face-to-face for the first time. The meeting is tense and painful; she's moved on with her life and makes it clear she doesn't want him disrupting her happiness. False defeat: it seems too late., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 69 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Hardin hits rock bottom when Tessa tells him that she can't forgive him and that he needs to let her go. His dream of reconciliation dies. He realizes he came for the wrong reasons—seeking her forgiveness rather than offering his own growth., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 74 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Hardin has a breakthrough: he realizes the book isn't about winning Tessa back—it's about documenting his journey, accepting responsibility, and becoming someone worthy of love, even if not hers. He finds peace in letting go., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
After Everything'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 After Everything against these established plot points, we can identify how Castille Landon utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish After Everything within the romance genre.
Castille Landon's Structural Approach
Among the 3 Castille Landon films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.3, reflecting strong command of classical structure. After Everything represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Castille Landon filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional romance films include South Pacific, Last Night and Diana. For more Castille Landon analyses, see After Ever Happy, After We Fell.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Hardin is living in Portugal, isolated and struggling to write his next novel. He's haunted by his past with Tessa, working in solitude by the ocean.
Theme
A conversation about second chances and whether people can truly change: "Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself."
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Hardin's isolated existence in Portugal, his writer's block, fragmented memories of Tessa, and his inability to move forward. Introduction of his publisher's pressure for the manuscript.
Disruption
Hardin's publisher gives him an ultimatum: finish the book or lose the contract. Simultaneously, he receives word that Tessa is getting married to someone else.
Resistance
Hardin debates whether to return to London and confront his past. He struggles with writing, has flashbacks to key moments with Tessa, and resists the idea of facing his demons.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Hardin makes the active decision to return to London to seek closure and finish his book. He boards a plane, choosing to confront his past rather than hide from it.
Mirror World
Hardin reconnects with his mother Trish, who represents unconditional love and the possibility of redemption. She encourages him to seek forgiveness and make amends.
Premise
Hardin navigates London, revisiting meaningful locations from his relationship with Tessa, attempting to interview people from his past for the book, and beginning to process his mistakes and growth.
Midpoint
Hardin encounters Tessa face-to-face for the first time. The meeting is tense and painful; she's moved on with her life and makes it clear she doesn't want him disrupting her happiness. False defeat: it seems too late.
Opposition
Hardin's attempts to explain himself fail. Tessa's fiancé confronts him. Old wounds resurface. Hardin spirals, returning to destructive patterns. The gap between who he was and who he wants to be seems insurmountable.
Collapse
Hardin hits rock bottom when Tessa tells him that she can't forgive him and that he needs to let her go. His dream of reconciliation dies. He realizes he came for the wrong reasons—seeking her forgiveness rather than offering his own growth.
Crisis
Hardin processes the loss in darkness. He confronts the truth: he can't undo the past, and he doesn't deserve Tessa's forgiveness. He must find a way to forgive himself.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Hardin has a breakthrough: he realizes the book isn't about winning Tessa back—it's about documenting his journey, accepting responsibility, and becoming someone worthy of love, even if not hers. He finds peace in letting go.
Synthesis
Hardin completes his manuscript with newfound clarity and honesty. He makes amends where he can without expecting forgiveness. He has a final, peaceful conversation with Tessa where they acknowledge their love but accept their separate paths. He returns to Portugal transformed.
Transformation
Hardin is back in Portugal, writing with purpose and clarity. Unlike the opening, he's at peace, no longer haunted. He's found redemption through self-forgiveness and growth, not through another's validation. The ocean still surrounds him, but now it represents freedom, not isolation.