Holes
After being wrongfully convicted for stealing a pair of shoes, Stanley Yelnats is sent away to Camp Green Lake, a boys detention facility where inmates are forced to dig holes all day in the hot desert sun as a form of character building. But Stanley and the other boys start to unravel a mystery, linked with the camps tough-as-nails warden —and possibly Stanley’s family itself.
Despite a respectable budget of $20.0M, Holes became a solid performer, earning $71.4M worldwide—a 257% return.
3 wins & 9 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%)
Holes (2003) demonstrates deliberately positioned dramatic framework, characteristic of Andrew Davis's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 11-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 57 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 5.7, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Stanley Yelnats IV
Hector Zeroni (Zero)
The Warden (Louise Walker)
Mr. Sir
Mr. Pendanski
Kate Barlow (Kissin' Kate)
Sam (Onion Man)
Madame Zeroni
Main Cast & Characters
Stanley Yelnats IV
Played by Shia LaBeouf
An unlucky teen wrongly convicted of theft who is sent to Camp Green Lake, where he uncovers his family's past and breaks a generations-old curse.
Hector Zeroni (Zero)
Played by Khleo Thomas
A quiet, illiterate boy at Camp Green Lake who forms a deep friendship with Stanley and proves to be resourceful and determined.
The Warden (Louise Walker)
Played by Sigourney Weaver
The cruel and calculating owner of Camp Green Lake who uses the boys to dig for hidden treasure from her family's past.
Mr. Sir
Played by Jon Voight
A tough, sunflower seed-eating counselor at Camp Green Lake who enforces the Warden's brutal rules.
Mr. Pendanski
Played by Tim Blake Nelson
A seemingly friendly counselor at Camp Green Lake who masks condescension and cruelty beneath a cheerful demeanor.
Kate Barlow (Kissin' Kate)
Played by Patricia Arquette
A schoolteacher turned outlaw in the Old West whose tragic love story and buried treasure drive the present-day narrative.
Sam (Onion Man)
Played by Dule Hill
An African American onion seller in the Old West whose love for Kate Barlow leads to tragedy and sets the curse in motion.
Madame Zeroni
Played by Eartha Kitt
A fortune teller and friend of Stanley's great-great-grandfather whose curse on the Yelnats family drives the story.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Stanley Yelnats walks alone through his neighborhood, bullied and unlucky, as the narrator introduces the Yelnats family curse that has plagued generations. His isolation and the weight of inherited misfortune define his ordinary world.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Stanley arrives at Camp Green Lake, a brutal juvenile detention facility in the scorching Texas desert, where boys are forced to dig holes daily. The Warden, Mr. Sir, and Mr. Pendanski introduce him to his new hellish reality.. 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 29 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Stanley makes the choice to give his discovered gold tube to X-Ray instead of turning it in himself, actively choosing to become part of the group and accept the camp's social system. He commits to surviving this world on its terms., moving from reaction to action.
The Collapse moment at 88 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Stanley and Zero, severely dehydrated and starving, collapse on the mountain. Zero is near death, unable to continue. Stanley faces the real possibility that they will both die in the desert, just like so many before them, their bones never found., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 94 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Stanley and Zero dig up Kate Barlow's treasure chest in the middle of the night, only to be confronted by the Warden and deadly yellow-spotted lizards. Stanley's lawyer arrives with proof of his innocence. The lizards don't bite because the boys smell of onions. The Warden is exposed, the camp is shut down, and the treasure—belonging to Stanley's family all along—is recovered., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Holes's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 11 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Holes against these established plot points, we can identify how Andrew Davis utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Holes within the adventure genre.
Andrew Davis's Structural Approach
Among the 9 Andrew Davis films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.9, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Holes takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Andrew Davis filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional adventure films include The Black Stallion, The Bad Guys and Puss in Boots. For more Andrew Davis analyses, see Code of Silence, Steal Big Steal Little and Chain Reaction.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Stanley Yelnats walks alone through his neighborhood, bullied and unlucky, as the narrator introduces the Yelnats family curse that has plagued generations. His isolation and the weight of inherited misfortune define his ordinary world.
Theme
Stanley's father tells him about the family curse from his "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather," establishing that fate, destiny, and whether we can escape our past is the central thematic question of the film.
Worldbuilding
We meet Stanley's struggling family, learn about the curse of Elya Yelnats and Madame Zeroni, witness Stanley's wrongful conviction for stealing Clyde Livingston's sneakers, and see his choice between jail and Camp Green Lake.
Disruption
Stanley arrives at Camp Green Lake, a brutal juvenile detention facility in the scorching Texas desert, where boys are forced to dig holes daily. The Warden, Mr. Sir, and Mr. Pendanski introduce him to his new hellish reality.
Resistance
Stanley struggles to adapt to camp life, digging his first painful hole while learning the rules and hierarchy of D-Tent. He meets the other boys—Squid, X-Ray, Armpit, Zigzag, and the mysterious Zero—while debating whether to simply survive or seek something more.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Stanley makes the choice to give his discovered gold tube to X-Ray instead of turning it in himself, actively choosing to become part of the group and accept the camp's social system. He commits to surviving this world on its terms.
Premise
Stanley adapts to camp life while flashbacks reveal the intertwined stories: Kate Barlow's tragic romance with Sam the onion man, their forbidden love destroyed by racism, and her transformation into Kissin' Kate Barlow. Stanley grows stronger, teaches Zero, and begins understanding the land's dark history.
Opposition
The Warden intensifies her search, becoming increasingly threatening. Zero runs away into the desert after being humiliated, and Stanley steals the water truck to follow him. The boys are presumed dead as they struggle to survive the deadly wasteland together.
Collapse
Stanley and Zero, severely dehydrated and starving, collapse on the mountain. Zero is near death, unable to continue. Stanley faces the real possibility that they will both die in the desert, just like so many before them, their bones never found.
Crisis
Stanley carries Zero up the mountain in a grueling climb, fulfilling the original promise Elya Yelnats broke to Madame Zeroni. They find refuge at "God's Thumb," discovering water and wild onions that save their lives and unknowingly break the curse.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Stanley and Zero dig up Kate Barlow's treasure chest in the middle of the night, only to be confronted by the Warden and deadly yellow-spotted lizards. Stanley's lawyer arrives with proof of his innocence. The lizards don't bite because the boys smell of onions. The Warden is exposed, the camp is shut down, and the treasure—belonging to Stanley's family all along—is recovered.