Chronicle
The shy, lonely and outcast teenager Andrew Detmer is bullied and has no friends at high-school and lives with his abusive and alcoholic father Richard Detmer and his terminally ill mother Karen. Andrew buys a camera to film his everyday life. His cousin Matt Garetty drives him to school and invites Andrew to go to a party at night. Nearby they find a tunnel and suddenly acquire telekinetic abilities and Andrew becomes the most powerful. But he easily loses his temper and becomes dangerous while Matt tries to control him. When his mother needs a medicine and Andrew does not have enough money to buy it, his darker side overwhelms him and he becomes a menace.
Despite a respectable budget of $15.0M, Chronicle became a massive hit, earning $145.0M worldwide—a remarkable 867% return.
2 wins & 7 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%)
Chronicle (2012) demonstrates meticulously timed story structure, characteristic of Josh Trank's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 24 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.8, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Andrew Detmer
Matt Garetty
Steve Montgomery
Casey Letter
Main Cast & Characters
Andrew Detmer
Played by Dane DeHaan
An abused, bullied teenager who documents his life and develops telekinetic powers that eventually corrupt him.
Matt Garetty
Played by Alex Russell
Andrew's cousin and moral compass who tries to establish rules for their powers and ultimately must stop Andrew.
Steve Montgomery
Played by Michael B. Jordan
Popular, charismatic student body president candidate who befriends Andrew and becomes a bridge between him and the social world.
Casey Letter
Played by Ashley Hinshaw
Matt's blogger girlfriend who serves as his emotional anchor and voice of reason throughout the crisis.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Andrew turns on his new camera and immediately faces his abusive father pounding on his locked bedroom door, establishing his isolated, threatened existence as a bullied teenager with a dying mother and violent home life.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 10 minutes when Steve and Matt find Andrew at the rave and convince him to bring his camera to film a mysterious hole in the ground they've discovered, leading them to encounter the glowing crystalline object that will give them telekinetic powers.. 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 21 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to The three friends make a pact to develop their powers together, establishing rules for their use. Andrew commits to this brotherhood, choosing to embrace the powers and the friendship rather than remain isolated., moving from reaction to action.
At 42 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat Andrew's triumphant talent show performance leads to a party where a girl takes him upstairs, but he vomits on her from anxiety. His humiliation is recorded and shared, destroying his brief social acceptance and triggering his downward spiral., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 63 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Andrew attempts to rob a gas station to buy his dying mother's medication, but the confrontation causes an explosion that kills Steve when he tries to intervene. Steve's death represents the destruction of Andrew's only genuine friendship and hope for connection., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 67 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. After his father attacks him in the hospital and blames him for his mother's death, Andrew snaps completely. He blasts his father through the wall and flies into Seattle, fully embracing his identity as an apex predator with no remaining humanity., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Chronicle's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Chronicle against these established plot points, we can identify how Josh Trank utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Chronicle within the adventure genre.
Josh Trank's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Josh Trank films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Chronicle takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Josh Trank filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional adventure films include The Black Stallion, The Bad Guys and Puss in Boots. For more Josh Trank analyses, see Fantastic Four.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Andrew turns on his new camera and immediately faces his abusive father pounding on his locked bedroom door, establishing his isolated, threatened existence as a bullied teenager with a dying mother and violent home life.
Theme
Matt tells Andrew that he needs to connect with people and stop hiding behind the camera, articulating the film's central theme about human connection versus isolation and how power without empathy leads to destruction.
Worldbuilding
Andrew's painful world is established: his alcoholic father beats him, his mother is dying of cancer, he's relentlessly bullied at school, and his only ally is his philosophical cousin Matt who reluctantly takes him to a rave.
Disruption
Steve and Matt find Andrew at the rave and convince him to bring his camera to film a mysterious hole in the ground they've discovered, leading them to encounter the glowing crystalline object that will give them telekinetic powers.
Resistance
The three boys descend into the cave and are exposed to the alien artifact. After recovering from nosebleeds and disorientation, they begin discovering their telekinetic abilities, initially struggling to control small objects and experiencing painful feedback.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
The three friends make a pact to develop their powers together, establishing rules for their use. Andrew commits to this brotherhood, choosing to embrace the powers and the friendship rather than remain isolated.
Mirror World
Steve actively befriends Andrew, genuinely caring about him beyond their shared powers. This relationship represents what Andrew needs—authentic human connection and acceptance—which Matt's philosophy only talked about.
Premise
The boys explore the fun of their powers: pranking shoppers at a store, building Legos telekinetically, playing football in the clouds, and eventually learning to fly. Andrew gains confidence and social acceptance, performing at the talent show.
Midpoint
Andrew's triumphant talent show performance leads to a party where a girl takes him upstairs, but he vomits on her from anxiety. His humiliation is recorded and shared, destroying his brief social acceptance and triggering his downward spiral.
Opposition
Andrew withdraws and his powers grow darker. He kills a spider by pulling its legs off, violently attacks bullies, and accidentally forces a tailgating driver off the road into a lake. His father's abuse intensifies as his mother's condition worsens.
Collapse
Andrew attempts to rob a gas station to buy his dying mother's medication, but the confrontation causes an explosion that kills Steve when he tries to intervene. Steve's death represents the destruction of Andrew's only genuine friendship and hope for connection.
Crisis
Andrew lies in the hospital, severely burned. Matt and Andrew's father both struggle with grief over Steve's death. Andrew's mother finally succumbs to her illness, and his father blames Andrew directly for her death and attacks him.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
After his father attacks him in the hospital and blames him for his mother's death, Andrew snaps completely. He blasts his father through the wall and flies into Seattle, fully embracing his identity as an apex predator with no remaining humanity.
Synthesis
Andrew rampages through downtown Seattle, destroying everything in his path. Matt pursues him through the city in a desperate battle, trying to reach his cousin while Andrew hurls cars and kills bystanders. Their final confrontation occurs at the Space Needle.
Transformation
Matt impales Andrew with a statue's spear to stop his rampage, killing his cousin. The final image shows Matt in Tibet, speaking to Andrew's camera, vowing to use his powers to help others—the connection Andrew rejected, Matt now embodies.