Always
Pete Sandich and buddy Al Yackey are daredevil aerial forest-fire fighters. Pete finds True Love with Dorinda but won't give up the job. When he takes one risk too many, Dorinda faces deep grief and cannot easily put her life back together.
Despite a respectable budget of $31.0M, Always became a commercial success, earning $74.1M worldwide—a 139% return.
3 nominations
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%)
Always (1989) showcases precise narrative design, characteristic of Steven Spielberg's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 2 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 5.9, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Pete Sandich
Dorinda Durston
Al Yackey
Ted Baker
Hap
Main Cast & Characters
Pete Sandich
Played by Richard Dreyfuss
A daring aerial firefighter who dies saving his best friend and returns as a ghost to help others move forward.
Dorinda Durston
Played by Holly Hunter
A strong-willed pilot and dispatcher who must learn to let go of her deceased lover and embrace new love.
Al Yackey
Played by John Goodman
Pete's loyal best friend and fellow firefighter who struggles with guilt over Pete's death.
Ted Baker
Played by Brad Johnson
A young, earnest pilot who falls for Dorinda and receives mysterious guidance from Pete's spirit.
Hap
Played by Audrey Hepburn
A wise, ethereal angel who guides Pete in his afterlife mission to help the living move forward.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (2% through the runtime) establishes Pete Sandich pilots his firefighting plane with reckless confidence, showing off his daredevil skills fighting forest fires. He's living dangerously but loving every minute, embodying the thrill-seeking pilot who won't commit to a safer life with Dorinda.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when During a firefighting mission, Al's plane is engulfed in flames. Pete makes the spontaneous, heroic decision to fly directly over Al's plane and dump his fire retardant to save his friend's life, knowing it will put himself in mortal danger.. At 11% 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 23% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Pete accepts his role as a spirit guide and returns to the living world, invisible to everyone. He chooses to go back, hoping to still be near Dorinda, not yet understanding that his real task is to help her let go and move forward., moving from reaction to action.
At 55 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 45% of the runtime—arriving early, accelerating into Act IIb complications. Notably, this crucial beat Dorinda and Ted share their first dance and romantic moment. Pete watches in anguish as Dorinda, whom he still considers "his," opens her heart to another man. This false defeat intensifies Pete's spiritual crisis - his purpose is creating the very thing that tortures him., 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 (67% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Dorinda takes a plane on a dangerous mission, recklessly flying into a catastrophic fire situation. Pete realizes his possessive spirit and inability to let go has kept Dorinda trapped in grief and self-destructive behavior. His selfish love is literally killing her - the "whiff of death" moment., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 89 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 73% of the runtime. Pete makes the conscious choice to truly let Dorinda go. Instead of whispering possessive thoughts, he speaks words of release and encouragement, guiding her to safety and blessing her relationship with Ted. He synthesizes Hap's wisdom with his own love - real love requires letting go., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Always's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Always against these established plot points, we can identify how Steven Spielberg utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Always within the drama genre.
Steven Spielberg's Structural Approach
Among the 33 Steven Spielberg films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 5.8, showcasing experimental approaches to narrative form. Always represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Steven Spielberg filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Radical. For more Steven Spielberg analyses, see E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1941 and West Side Story.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Pete Sandich pilots his firefighting plane with reckless confidence, showing off his daredevil skills fighting forest fires. He's living dangerously but loving every minute, embodying the thrill-seeking pilot who won't commit to a safer life with Dorinda.
Theme
Dorinda tells Pete, "When you love someone, you've got to let them go." This line foreshadows the entire thematic journey Pete will have to make - learning that true love means releasing someone to find their own happiness, even after death.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Pete's world as an aerial firefighter, his relationship with girlfriend Dorinda and best friend Al. Pete is passionate about his dangerous job but resists Dorinda's pleas for him to take a safer training position. We see their deep love but also Pete's inability to commit or change.
Disruption
During a firefighting mission, Al's plane is engulfed in flames. Pete makes the spontaneous, heroic decision to fly directly over Al's plane and dump his fire retardant to save his friend's life, knowing it will put himself in mortal danger.
Resistance
Pete's plane explodes and he dies. He awakens in a pristine forest where he meets Hap, an angelic figure who explains Pete's new purpose: he must return as a spirit to inspire a new pilot. Pete resists, wanting to return to Dorinda, but Hap guides him toward acceptance of his mission.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Pete accepts his role as a spirit guide and returns to the living world, invisible to everyone. He chooses to go back, hoping to still be near Dorinda, not yet understanding that his real task is to help her let go and move forward.
Mirror World
Ted Baker, a young pilot, arrives and Pete (as a spirit) is drawn to inspire him. Ted represents everything Pete was - a skilled, passionate pilot - but also what Pete must help create: Dorinda's new chance at love. This relationship will force Pete to confront his jealousy and possessiveness.
Premise
Pete watches invisibly as Dorinda grieves. He whispers inspiration to Ted, making him a better pilot. Time passes and Dorinda slowly emerges from grief. Ted, guided unknowingly by Pete's spirit, becomes an excellent firefighter and begins falling for Dorinda. Pete experiences increasing torment watching them grow closer.
Midpoint
Dorinda and Ted share their first dance and romantic moment. Pete watches in anguish as Dorinda, whom he still considers "his," opens her heart to another man. This false defeat intensifies Pete's spiritual crisis - his purpose is creating the very thing that tortures him.
Opposition
Pete's jealousy and inability to let go intensifies. He tries to sabotage Ted and Dorinda's growing relationship through his spiritual influence. Dorinda struggles between honoring Pete's memory and allowing herself to love again. The opposition is Pete's own selfish love fighting against the selfless love Hap called him to embody.
Collapse
Dorinda takes a plane on a dangerous mission, recklessly flying into a catastrophic fire situation. Pete realizes his possessive spirit and inability to let go has kept Dorinda trapped in grief and self-destructive behavior. His selfish love is literally killing her - the "whiff of death" moment.
Crisis
Pete watches in horror as Dorinda risks her life, understanding finally that his refusal to let go has prevented her from truly living. He faces the dark truth: his love has become a prison. He must completely release her or lose her forever, even as a memory.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Pete makes the conscious choice to truly let Dorinda go. Instead of whispering possessive thoughts, he speaks words of release and encouragement, guiding her to safety and blessing her relationship with Ted. He synthesizes Hap's wisdom with his own love - real love requires letting go.
Synthesis
Pete helps Dorinda land the plane safely, whispering guidance and love. He watches as Ted rushes to her, and Pete gives his final blessing. He releases Dorinda completely, telling her it's okay to love again. Pete completes his mission, transformed from selfish lover to selfless spirit guide.
Transformation
Pete watches from a distance as Dorinda and Ted embrace, finally at peace. He smiles, truly happy for her happiness, then turns and walks away into the light. The final image mirrors the opening - but where Pete once lived recklessly for himself, he now loves selflessly, having learned that letting go is the ultimate act of love.