In the House
A sixteen-year-old boy insinuates himself into the house of a fellow student from his literature class and writes about it in essays for his French teacher. Faced with this gifted and unusual pupil, the teacher rediscovers his enthusiasm for his work, but the boy's intrusion will unleash a series of uncontrollable events.
The film earned $11.9M at the global box office.
10 wins & 23 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%)
In the House (2012) exhibits meticulously timed narrative design, characteristic of François Ozon's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 45 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 Germain, a jaded high school literature teacher, faces another uninspiring year reading mediocre student essays. His wife Jeanne's art gallery is struggling. Both are stuck in creative and professional stagnation.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Claude Garcia submits an essay titled "To be continued..." about infiltrating classmate Rapha Artole's middle-class family home. Unlike the other papers, it shows genuine talent, observation, and narrative suspense. Germain is captivated—here is a real writer.. 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 26 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Germain actively commits to the mentorship, telling Claude to continue infiltrating the Artoles and reporting back through his essays. This is no longer passive reading—Germain is now complicit, coaching Claude on how to gain deeper access to the family, particularly to Rapha's attractive mother, Esther. The line between teacher and co-conspirator is crossed., moving from reaction to action.
At 53 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat False victory turns to unease: Claude's latest essay reveals he may have seduced (or fantasized seducing) Esther Artole. Germain is both thrilled by the narrative boldness and disturbed by the reality. Jeanne grows alarmed—this has gone too far. The headmaster begins asking questions about Claude. The stakes raise: What is real? What is fiction? And who is manipulating whom?., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 79 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Germain is fired from his teaching position for inappropriate conduct with Claude. Jeanne leaves him, unable to tolerate his obsession. The Artole family discovers Claude's manipulation and bans him. Claude disappears. Germain has lost everything: his job, his wife, his purpose, and his protégé. The story that gave him life has destroyed it., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 84 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Germain receives word that Claude has moved on to a new target—his story will continue, just with different characters. Germain realizes the truth: Claude is a storyteller, an artist, and perhaps a sociopath. The story was never about the Artoles or about Germain—it was always about Claude's need to create, to infiltrate, to perform. Germain accepts he was merely a chapter., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
In the House'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 In the House against these established plot points, we can identify how François Ozon utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish In the House within the drama genre.
François Ozon's Structural Approach
Among the 7 François Ozon films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.5, reflecting strong command of classical structure. In the House takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete François Ozon filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more François Ozon analyses, see Swimming Pool, The Crime Is Mine and Young & Beautiful.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Germain, a jaded high school literature teacher, faces another uninspiring year reading mediocre student essays. His wife Jeanne's art gallery is struggling. Both are stuck in creative and professional stagnation.
Theme
Germain discusses with colleagues the decline of literary appreciation and imagination in students. A fellow teacher remarks: "They have no curiosity anymore. They don't observe, they don't imagine." The theme of voyeurism, storytelling, and the dangerous blurring of fiction and reality is introduced.
Worldbuilding
Germain's world is established: his cynical teaching style, his troubled marriage to Jeanne (who runs a failing contemporary art gallery), their bourgeois apartment. Students submit terrible essays on their weekends. The system is broken, passion is dead, and both Germain and Jeanne are artistically unfulfilled.
Disruption
Claude Garcia submits an essay titled "To be continued..." about infiltrating classmate Rapha Artole's middle-class family home. Unlike the other papers, it shows genuine talent, observation, and narrative suspense. Germain is captivated—here is a real writer.
Resistance
Germain encourages Claude to continue the story, offering private mentorship. He shares the essays with Jeanne, who also becomes engrossed. They debate the ethics: Is this mentorship or manipulation? Is Claude exploiting the Artoles? Should Germain intervene? But the writing is too compelling. Germain begins tutoring Claude in narrative technique, pushing him to go deeper into the Artole household.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Germain actively commits to the mentorship, telling Claude to continue infiltrating the Artoles and reporting back through his essays. This is no longer passive reading—Germain is now complicit, coaching Claude on how to gain deeper access to the family, particularly to Rapha's attractive mother, Esther. The line between teacher and co-conspirator is crossed.
Mirror World
Jeanne becomes Germain's mirror—she represents the ethical compass and the voice of caution. While she's also fascinated by Claude's writing, she questions Germain's growing obsession. Their relationship serves as the B-story: as Germain becomes consumed by Claude's narrative, his marriage strains. Jeanne embodies the theme: the danger of losing oneself in fiction.
Premise
The "fun and games" of the premise: Claude's essays detail his deepening infiltration of the Artole family. He befriends Rapha, seduces Esther emotionally (and ambiguously physically), and provides Germain with voyeuristic thrills. Germain and Jeanne eagerly await each installment. The writing rekindles Germain's passion for literature. Claude becomes more sophisticated, more dangerous. The game is intoxicating.
Midpoint
False victory turns to unease: Claude's latest essay reveals he may have seduced (or fantasized seducing) Esther Artole. Germain is both thrilled by the narrative boldness and disturbed by the reality. Jeanne grows alarmed—this has gone too far. The headmaster begins asking questions about Claude. The stakes raise: What is real? What is fiction? And who is manipulating whom?
Opposition
The walls close in. Germain's obsession with Claude's story alienates Jeanne. The school administration grows suspicious. Claude becomes more controlling, demanding Germain's apartment key to "write in peace" and inserting himself into Germain and Jeanne's lives. The boundaries dissolve: Claude begins narrating Germain's life, turning the mentor into a character. Germain realizes he's losing control of both the story and reality.
Collapse
Germain is fired from his teaching position for inappropriate conduct with Claude. Jeanne leaves him, unable to tolerate his obsession. The Artole family discovers Claude's manipulation and bans him. Claude disappears. Germain has lost everything: his job, his wife, his purpose, and his protégé. The story that gave him life has destroyed it.
Crisis
Germain, alone in his apartment, processes the devastation. He searches for Claude, who has vanished. He rereads the essays, trying to understand what was real and what was fiction. The dark night: Germain confronts that he used Claude as much as Claude used him—both seeking escape from their lives through narrative. He mourns the loss of the story, perhaps more than the loss of Jeanne.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Germain receives word that Claude has moved on to a new target—his story will continue, just with different characters. Germain realizes the truth: Claude is a storyteller, an artist, and perhaps a sociopath. The story was never about the Artoles or about Germain—it was always about Claude's need to create, to infiltrate, to perform. Germain accepts he was merely a chapter.
Synthesis
Germain tracks Claude to his new life, watching from a distance as Claude begins to infiltrate another family. The teacher observes his student from outside, now a voyeur himself. He does not intervene. Perhaps he writes about what he sees. The cycle continues. Germain has become what he created—a watcher, a reader, complicit in the fiction.
Transformation
Final image mirrors the opening: Germain alone, observing. But now he's not a teacher reading essays—he's a voyeur watching real life as if it were fiction, unable to distinguish between the two. The transformation is dark: he has not overcome his obsession but has been consumed by it. The final shot suggests he will continue watching Claude's "story," forever trapped in the narrative.