Downsizing
A kindly occupational therapist undergoes a new procedure to be shrunken to four inches tall so that he and his wife can help save the planet and afford a nice lifestyle at the same time.
The film disappointed at the box office against its mid-range budget of $68.0M, earning $55.0M globally (-19% 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%)
Downsizing (2017) exhibits deliberately positioned story structure, characteristic of Alexander Payne's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 15 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.0, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Paul and Audrey Safranek live a modest middle-class life in Omaha. Paul works as an occupational therapist, struggling financially but maintaining optimism about their future together.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 17 minutes when Paul and Audrey decide to downsize. Dave Johnson's glamorous small life and the promise of their $52,000 becoming $12.5 million disrupts their acceptance of modest existence. They sign contracts to irreversibly miniaturize.. At 13% through the film, this Disruption is delayed, allowing extended setup of the story world. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 34 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Paul undergoes the downsizing procedure and awakens five inches tall. However, Audrey backed out at the last moment. Paul is now divorced, miniaturized, and alone - his choice to enter this new world has left him stranded., moving from reaction to action.
At 68 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat At Dušan's party, Paul meets Ngoc Lan Tran, a Vietnamese political dissident who was forcibly miniaturized and lost her leg. She cleans houses to support impoverished small people. Paul is struck by her purpose and sacrifice - a false victory as he thinks he's found meaning., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 100 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, At the original Norwegian colony, Dr. Asbjørnsen reveals humanity will go extinct from methane release. The colony will seal itself in a mountain vault for 8,000 years. Paul decides to abandon Ngoc Lan and join the vault - choosing escape over connection. He boards the procession into the mountain., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 109 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Paul turns back before the vault seals. He runs through the mountain tunnel, choosing Ngoc Lan and uncertain purpose over guaranteed survival. He synthesizes what he learned: significance comes from showing up for others, not grand gestures or escaping consequences., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Downsizing'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 Downsizing against these established plot points, we can identify how Alexander Payne utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Downsizing within the drama genre.
Alexander Payne's Structural Approach
Among the 6 Alexander Payne films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Downsizing exemplifies the director's characteristic narrative technique. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Alexander Payne filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Alexander Payne analyses, see Nebraska, The Descendants and The Holdovers.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Paul and Audrey Safranek live a modest middle-class life in Omaha. Paul works as an occupational therapist, struggling financially but maintaining optimism about their future together.
Theme
Dr. Jørgen Asbjørnsen presents downsizing technology at a conference, stating: "We can offer people a chance to go small and save the world." The theme is introduced - what sacrifices mean true significance?
Worldbuilding
Exposition of downsizing technology and its global adoption. Paul and Audrey attend college reunion where they encounter Dave Johnson, now living miniaturized in Leisureland Estates. Financial pressures mount as Paul's mother requires care. The couple researches downsizing benefits and attends sales presentations.
Disruption
Paul and Audrey decide to downsize. Dave Johnson's glamorous small life and the promise of their $52,000 becoming $12.5 million disrupts their acceptance of modest existence. They sign contracts to irreversibly miniaturize.
Resistance
Paul and Audrey prepare for the procedure. They sell possessions, say goodbyes to family, and undergo pre-op preparations. Last-minute doubts surface. The irreversibility is emphasized. They enter the facility separately for medical processing.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Paul undergoes the downsizing procedure and awakens five inches tall. However, Audrey backed out at the last moment. Paul is now divorced, miniaturized, and alone - his choice to enter this new world has left him stranded.
Mirror World
Paul meets his upstairs neighbor Dušan Mirković, a black-market smuggler who lives hedonistically. Dušan represents an alternative philosophy to Paul's earnest do-gooder nature - pleasure over purpose.
Premise
Paul adjusts to small life, which isn't the paradise promised. He lives in a cramped apartment, works in telemarketing, faces financial struggles. He befriends Dušan and Konrad, joining their party lifestyle. The promise of downsizing - significance through minimalism - proves hollow.
Midpoint
At Dušan's party, Paul meets Ngoc Lan Tran, a Vietnamese political dissident who was forcibly miniaturized and lost her leg. She cleans houses to support impoverished small people. Paul is struck by her purpose and sacrifice - a false victory as he thinks he's found meaning.
Opposition
Paul begins helping Ngoc Lan with her charity work in the slums outside Leisureland. He fits her with a prosthetic leg. Their relationship deepens. Dušan invites them to Norway to visit the original small colony. Paul is torn between purpose (Ngoc Lan's mission) and escape (Norway journey). They travel together.
Collapse
At the original Norwegian colony, Dr. Asbjørnsen reveals humanity will go extinct from methane release. The colony will seal itself in a mountain vault for 8,000 years. Paul decides to abandon Ngoc Lan and join the vault - choosing escape over connection. He boards the procession into the mountain.
Crisis
Deep inside the mountain, Paul witnesses families committed to the vault's permanence. He realizes this is another false solution - hiding from the world rather than engaging with it. He has a dark realization about his pattern of seeking escapes rather than embracing imperfect reality.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Paul turns back before the vault seals. He runs through the mountain tunnel, choosing Ngoc Lan and uncertain purpose over guaranteed survival. He synthesizes what he learned: significance comes from showing up for others, not grand gestures or escaping consequences.
Synthesis
Paul returns to Leisureland and reunites with Ngoc Lan. He commits to helping with her work in the slums. They continue their daily routine of serving meals and caring for the impoverished. Paul finds peace in simple, repeated acts of service rather than seeking transformative solutions.
Transformation
Paul and Ngoc Lan deliver food to the slums together. The closing image mirrors the opening's modest existence, but Paul is transformed - no longer seeking escape or significance, he finds meaning in showing up daily for unglamorous work beside someone he loves.