Every Day
Based on David Levithan's acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Every Day tells the story of Rhiannon (Angourie Rice), a 16-year old girl who falls in love with a mysterious soul named "A" who inhabits a different body every day. Feeling an unmatched connection, Rhiannon and A work each day to find each other, not knowing what or who the next day will bring. The more the two fall in love, the more the realities of loving someone who is a different person every 24 hours takes a toll, leaving Rhiannon and "A" to face the hardest decision either has ever had to make.
Despite its modest budget of $4.9M, Every Day became a box office success, earning $10.4M worldwide—a 112% return.
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%)
Every Day (2018) exhibits meticulously timed narrative design, characteristic of Michael Sucsy's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 37 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.4, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Rhiannon wakes up next to her boyfriend Justin, who ignores her. We see her ordinary world: a comfortable but unfulfilling relationship, going through the motions of high school life without real connection or passion.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when A (in Justin's body) takes Rhiannon on an unexpected, magical day to the beach instead of school. For the first time, she feels truly seen and alive. This disrupts her acceptance of her mundane life and plants the seed that something more is possible.. 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 25 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Rhiannon makes the active choice to believe A and meet them the next day, despite the impossibility of the situation. She commits to exploring this relationship, crossing from her ordinary world into the fantastical reality of loving someone without a fixed body., moving from reaction to action.
At 49 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 51% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat False victory: A inhabits a body they can stay in for an extended time, and Rhiannon believes they've found a solution. They have their most romantic, hopeful moment at a party, feeling like a normal couple. But this raises stakes - now there's hope for permanence, making the impossibility more painful., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 72 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, A inhabits a body that lives far away, making them realize they can't control staying near Rhiannon. The dream of their relationship dies. A tells Rhiannon they have to let each other go because their love is causing pain and disrupting lives. Rhiannon is heartbroken, losing the only person who truly saw her., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 78 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Rhiannon has a realization: loving A taught her to see beyond the surface, to value the soul over the body. She decides to find A one more time, not to hold on, but to properly say goodbye and honor what they shared. She integrates her lesson about authentic love., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Every Day'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 Every Day against these established plot points, we can identify how Michael Sucsy utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Every Day within the drama genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Rhiannon wakes up next to her boyfriend Justin, who ignores her. We see her ordinary world: a comfortable but unfulfilling relationship, going through the motions of high school life without real connection or passion.
Theme
A (inhabiting Justin's body) asks Rhiannon, "Don't you ever want to be seen?" This line establishes the film's central theme: the desire to be truly known and loved for who we are, beyond surface appearances.
Worldbuilding
Setup of Rhiannon's world: her distant relationship with Justin, her supportive sister and friends, her home life. Parallel introduction of A's existence, waking in different bodies daily, living borrowed lives without attachment.
Disruption
A (in Justin's body) takes Rhiannon on an unexpected, magical day to the beach instead of school. For the first time, she feels truly seen and alive. This disrupts her acceptance of her mundane life and plants the seed that something more is possible.
Resistance
Rhiannon is confused when Justin (back to his normal self) doesn't remember their perfect day. A begins appearing in different bodies, trying to reconnect with Rhiannon. She resists, debates whether she's crazy, struggles to understand what's happening. A explains their condition.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Rhiannon makes the active choice to believe A and meet them the next day, despite the impossibility of the situation. She commits to exploring this relationship, crossing from her ordinary world into the fantastical reality of loving someone without a fixed body.
Mirror World
Rhiannon and A (in a new body) spend their first intentional day together. A becomes the mirror that reflects what Rhiannon truly wants: authentic connection, adventure, being valued. This subplot will carry the theme of seeing beyond appearances.
Premise
The "promise of the premise" - Rhiannon and A meet in different bodies daily. We see the fun, romance, and beauty of their impossible love. They share intimate moments, learn about each other, and Rhiannon discovers what real love feels like, while navigating the challenges of A's condition.
Midpoint
False victory: A inhabits a body they can stay in for an extended time, and Rhiannon believes they've found a solution. They have their most romantic, hopeful moment at a party, feeling like a normal couple. But this raises stakes - now there's hope for permanence, making the impossibility more painful.
Opposition
Reality closes in: A must keep moving bodies. Rhiannon's friends and sister question her strange behavior. Justin becomes suspicious. The logistics of their relationship become harder. Rhiannon struggles with loving someone she can't introduce to her world, can't plan a future with. Their stolen moments become more desperate.
Collapse
A inhabits a body that lives far away, making them realize they can't control staying near Rhiannon. The dream of their relationship dies. A tells Rhiannon they have to let each other go because their love is causing pain and disrupting lives. Rhiannon is heartbroken, losing the only person who truly saw her.
Crisis
Rhiannon's dark night: she returns to her normal life but is changed. She can't unsee the emptiness of her old relationships. She mourns A and what they had. She processes the loss while grappling with what she learned about herself - that she deserves to be seen and loved authentically.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Rhiannon has a realization: loving A taught her to see beyond the surface, to value the soul over the body. She decides to find A one more time, not to hold on, but to properly say goodbye and honor what they shared. She integrates her lesson about authentic love.
Synthesis
Rhiannon tracks A down for one final meeting. They share a bittersweet goodbye, acknowledging their love while accepting they can't be together. A gives Rhiannon the gift of letting her go. Rhiannon ends her unfulfilling relationship with Justin, choosing to honor herself and wait for real love.
Transformation
Final image: Rhiannon, now alone but transformed, sits confidently in a coffee shop. A kind stranger (possibly A, possibly not) sits near her. She smiles, open to connection. Unlike the opening where she accepted being unseen, she now knows her worth and won't settle for less than authentic love.