Honey Boy
From a screenplay by Shia LaBeouf, based on his own experiences, award-winning filmmaker Alma Har'el brings to life a young actor's stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father through cinema and dreams. Fictionalizing his childhood's ascent to stardom, and subsequent adult crash-landing into rehab and recovery, Har'el casts Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges as Otis Lort, navigating different stages in a frenetic career. LaBeouf takes on the daring and therapeutic challenge of playing a version of his own father, an ex-rodeo clown and a felon. Artist and musician FKA Twigs makes her feature-film debut, playing neighbor and kindred spirit to the younger Otis in their garden-court motel home. Har'el's feature narrative debut is a one-of-a-kind collaboration between filmmaker and subject, exploring art as medicine and imagination as hope.
The film underperformed commercially against its tight budget of $3.5M, earning $3.4M globally (-3% loss).
10 wins & 41 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%)
Honey Boy (2019) reveals meticulously timed narrative design, characteristic of Alma Har'el's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 34 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.8, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Adult Otis crashes his truck in a violent drunk-driving accident, establishing his broken state and self-destructive patterns before we understand their origin.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when In rehab, Otis is forced into PTSD exposure therapy exercises, triggering painful memories he's spent years avoiding through drugs and recklessness.. 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 24 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Otis commits to the therapeutic process and begins honestly exploring his past, choosing to confront the memories rather than flee rehab or shut down emotionally., moving from reaction to action.
At 47 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat James explodes in drunken rage, violently confronting young Otis about his perceived disloyalty and destroying the fragile peace, while adult Otis realizes in therapy that his father's abuse has replicated itself in his own behavior., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 71 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, In a devastating confrontation, young Otis tells his father "You're just a fucking clown," severing their connection. The death of innocence: Otis loses any remaining hope that his father will change or truly love him., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 76 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Through role-play therapy, adult Otis embodies his father and speaks to his younger self, achieving the synthesis of understanding his father's pain while recognizing he deserves better—forgiveness without absolution., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Honey Boy's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Honey Boy against these established plot points, we can identify how Alma Har'el utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Honey Boy 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
Adult Otis crashes his truck in a violent drunk-driving accident, establishing his broken state and self-destructive patterns before we understand their origin.
Theme
A therapist asks young Otis about his relationship with his father, introducing the central question: "Can we break the cycle of our parents' damage?"
Worldbuilding
Dual timelines establish the two worlds: 12-year-old Otis living in a motel with his volatile father James who serves as his guardian/manager, and 22-year-old Otis court-ordered to rehab, carrying the weight of unresolved trauma.
Disruption
In rehab, Otis is forced into PTSD exposure therapy exercises, triggering painful memories he's spent years avoiding through drugs and recklessness.
Resistance
Otis resists the therapeutic process while memories flood back: young Otis navigates his father's jealousy, alcoholism, and emotional abuse while trying to maintain his child acting career and find moments of connection.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Otis commits to the therapeutic process and begins honestly exploring his past, choosing to confront the memories rather than flee rehab or shut down emotionally.
Mirror World
Young Otis develops a tender relationship with Shy Girl, a neighbor at the motel, experiencing genuine affection and age-appropriate connection that contrasts with hisfather's toxicity.
Premise
The film explores the promise of its premise: the complex, contradictory relationship between father and son—moments of tenderness and fun punctuated by James's cruelty, manipulation, and jealousy of his son's success.
Midpoint
James explodes in drunken rage, violently confronting young Otis about his perceived disloyalty and destroying the fragile peace, while adult Otis realizes in therapy that his father's abuse has replicated itself in his own behavior.
Opposition
The relationship deteriorates as James's behavior worsens—increased drinking, emotional manipulation, and volatility. Young Otis becomes more isolated while adult Otis struggles with violent outbursts in rehab that mirror his father.
Collapse
In a devastating confrontation, young Otis tells his father "You're just a fucking clown," severing their connection. The death of innocence: Otis loses any remaining hope that his father will change or truly love him.
Crisis
Both timelines show isolation and despair: young Otis faces leaving his father's "care," while adult Otis sits with the full weight of recognizing how deeply the abuse damaged him and how he's perpetuated the cycle.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Through role-play therapy, adult Otis embodies his father and speaks to his younger self, achieving the synthesis of understanding his father's pain while recognizing he deserves better—forgiveness without absolution.
Synthesis
Otis completes his therapeutic work, achieving clarity about his trauma. Young Otis gets his first real acting opportunity, stepping toward independence. Both versions move toward self-forgiveness and breaking the cycle.
Transformation
Adult Otis sits peacefully, having processed his trauma. The final image shows him transformed—still carrying the scars but no longer controlled by them, ready to create his own story rather than repeat his father's.