Il Divo
Italy, early '90s. Calm, clever and inscrutable, politician Giulio Andreotti has been synonymous with power for decades. He has survived everything: electoral battles, terrorist massacres, loss of friends, slanderous accusations; but now certain repentant mobsters implicate him in the crimes of Cosa Nostra.
Working with a limited budget of $7.3M, the film achieved a modest success with $11.3M in global revenue (+55% profit margin).
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%)
Il Divo (2008) reveals deliberately positioned story structure, characteristic of Paolo Sorrentino's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 53 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Montage of assassinations and violent deaths set to punk rock - establishing the brutal world of Italian politics in the 1970s-80s where Andreotti operates.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 16 minutes when The Mani Pulite ("Clean Hands") investigations begin. News of corruption investigations spreading through Italy's political class - the old order is collapsing.. At 14% 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 30 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 26% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Andreotti decides to form his 7th government despite the investigations closing in. He commits to facing the accusations rather than retreating from political life., moving from reaction to action.
At 57 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat False defeat: Formal accusations of Mafia association are leveled against Andreotti. The untouchable politician faces the possibility of trial and disgrace., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 84 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Andreotti's closest allies are dead, in prison, or have betrayed him. He sits alone in his apartment, the machinery of power that sustained him for decades dismantled. Whiff of death: political death and isolation., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 91 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Andreotti accepts his role in history and prepares to face trial. He understands he will be judged but maintains his enigmatic silence about the truth., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Il Divo'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 Il Divo against these established plot points, we can identify how Paolo Sorrentino utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Il Divo within the drama genre.
Paolo Sorrentino's Structural Approach
Among the 3 Paolo Sorrentino films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.8, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Il Divo represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Paolo Sorrentino filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Paolo Sorrentino analyses, see The Great Beauty, This Must Be the Place.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Montage of assassinations and violent deaths set to punk rock - establishing the brutal world of Italian politics in the 1970s-80s where Andreotti operates.
Theme
Title card: "The protagonists of this story declare that all the things you will see are false" - establishing the theme of truth, power, and the impossibility of knowing reality in Italian politics.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to Andreotti's inner circle through stylized sequences: his bodyguards, advisors, and the labyrinthine power structure of Christian Democracy. The "Divine Julius" formed his 7th government.
Disruption
The Mani Pulite ("Clean Hands") investigations begin. News of corruption investigations spreading through Italy's political class - the old order is collapsing.
Resistance
Andreotti navigates the crisis, consulting with advisors, meeting with allies. Flashbacks to past political maneuvers and relationships with figures who are now dead or implicated.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Andreotti decides to form his 7th government despite the investigations closing in. He commits to facing the accusations rather than retreating from political life.
Mirror World
Introduction of the pentiti (Mafia turncoats) and investigating magistrates who represent justice and truth - the mirror to Andreotti's world of secrets and power.
Premise
The "fun and games" of political maneuvering: Andreotti navigating accusations, maintaining power, flashbacks to his relationship with the Mafia, Aldo Moro's kidnapping, and various political murders.
Midpoint
False defeat: Formal accusations of Mafia association are leveled against Andreotti. The untouchable politician faces the possibility of trial and disgrace.
Opposition
Pressure intensifies: witnesses come forward, associates turn on him or die mysteriously, investigations deepen. Andreotti becomes increasingly isolated as the political system crumbles around him.
Collapse
Andreotti's closest allies are dead, in prison, or have betrayed him. He sits alone in his apartment, the machinery of power that sustained him for decades dismantled. Whiff of death: political death and isolation.
Crisis
Andreotti in darkness, reflecting on his long career. Intimate moments showing him as an old man facing mortality and judgment, both legal and historical.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Andreotti accepts his role in history and prepares to face trial. He understands he will be judged but maintains his enigmatic silence about the truth.
Synthesis
The trial sequences intercut with historical footage and flashbacks. Andreotti faces his accusers but remains inscrutable. Title cards reveal his eventual acquittal on some charges due to statute of limitations.
Transformation
Final image: Andreotti, unchanged and unknowable, walking through Rome. Despite everything, he remains a mystery - power personified, truth obscured. The system survives in different forms.