Life Itself
As a young New York couple goes from college romance to marriage and the birth of their first child, the unexpected twists of their journey create reverberations that echo over continents and through lifetimes in Life Itself. Director and writer Dan Fogelman ("This Is Us") examines the perils and rewards of everyday life in a multi-generational saga featuring an international ensemble including Oscar Isaac, Olivia Wilde, Antonio Banderas, Annette Bening, Olivia Cooke, Sergio Peris- Mencheta, Laia Costa, Alex Monner and Mandy Patinkin. Set in New York City and Carmona, Spain, Life Itself celebrates the human condition and all of its complications with humor, poignancy and love.
The film underperformed commercially against its modest budget of $10.0M, earning $8.0M globally (-20% loss).
2 wins & 4 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%)
Life Itself (2018) exemplifies deliberately positioned narrative design, characteristic of Dan Fogelman's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 58 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.5, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Will speaks to his therapist Dr. Cait Morris, establishing his world of intellectual analysis and emotional compartmentalization. He introduces the concept of the "unreliable narrator" that will define the film's structure.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when The revelation that Abby died in a bus accident while pregnant, shattering the narrative we've been told. Will's therapy sessions are revealed to be his desperate attempt to process unbearable grief.. 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 30 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Will's suicide, stepping in front of a bus. The film crosses into its true structure: a multi-generational tapestry where death becomes a transition point to the next chapter, not an ending., moving from reaction to action.
At 59 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Isabel Gonzalez, now grown and in New York, meets Dylan (the son of Will and Abby who survived). The two central narrative threads begin to converge, revealing the deeper connections between all the stories., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 89 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Dylan dies in a random accident (hit by a car), echoing his parents' deaths. The cycle of tragedy seems inescapable, and Isabel is left pregnant with his child, repeating the pattern of loss., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 94 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. The revelation of the final narrative layer: the entire story is being told by Isabel and Dylan's daughter as an adult, finding meaning and connection in the chaos. The synthesis of all stories reveals purpose in randomness., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Life Itself's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Life Itself against these established plot points, we can identify how Dan Fogelman utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Life Itself within the drama genre.
Dan Fogelman's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Dan Fogelman films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.8, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Life Itself takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Dan Fogelman filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Dan Fogelman analyses, see Danny Collins.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Will speaks to his therapist Dr. Cait Morris, establishing his world of intellectual analysis and emotional compartmentalization. He introduces the concept of the "unreliable narrator" that will define the film's structure.
Theme
Dr. Morris discusses how life's randomness and chaos can create meaning, stating that sometimes the most important moments come from unexpected places. This establishes the film's central theme about fate, chance, and interconnected lives.
Worldbuilding
Through therapy sessions and flashbacks, we learn about Will and Abby's romance, their college meeting, their marriage, and Abby's pregnancy. The narrative structure itself becomes a character, with multiple unreliable retellings.
Disruption
The revelation that Abby died in a bus accident while pregnant, shattering the narrative we've been told. Will's therapy sessions are revealed to be his desperate attempt to process unbearable grief.
Resistance
Will spirals in his grief, struggling with Dr. Morris's attempts to help him process the loss. The narrative expands to show Dylan, the child who survived, being raised by Abby's parents. Multiple timelines and perspectives begin to emerge.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Will's suicide, stepping in front of a bus. The film crosses into its true structure: a multi-generational tapestry where death becomes a transition point to the next chapter, not an ending.
Mirror World
Introduction of the Gonzalez family in Spain - Javier, his wife, and daughter Isabel. This parallel story begins to mirror the themes of love, loss, and fate, showing how lives connect across continents and generations.
Premise
The film explores its premise of interconnected narratives: Dylan growing up troubled, the Gonzalez family's story in Spain, and how seemingly random events ripple across lives. The "unreliable narrator" concept unfolds across multiple perspectives.
Midpoint
Isabel Gonzalez, now grown and in New York, meets Dylan (the son of Will and Abby who survived). The two central narrative threads begin to converge, revealing the deeper connections between all the stories.
Opposition
Dylan and Isabel's relationship develops while Dylan struggles with his legacy of trauma. Javier's past tragedy with his wife is revealed. The weight of inherited pain and the question of whether love can overcome fate intensifies.
Collapse
Dylan dies in a random accident (hit by a car), echoing his parents' deaths. The cycle of tragedy seems inescapable, and Isabel is left pregnant with his child, repeating the pattern of loss.
Crisis
Isabel grieves Dylan's death while carrying their child. The film sits in the darkness of repeated loss, questioning whether the cycle of tragedy can ever be broken or if randomness will always bring pain.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
The revelation of the final narrative layer: the entire story is being told by Isabel and Dylan's daughter as an adult, finding meaning and connection in the chaos. The synthesis of all stories reveals purpose in randomness.
Synthesis
The grown daughter reflects on how her grandparents, parents, and all the interconnected lives created her story. She finds peace in the narrative of her family, accepting both the tragedy and beauty. All chapters synthesize into meaning.
Transformation
The final image shows the grown daughter with her own family, having found love and hope despite the legacy of loss. The unreliable narrator becomes reliable through acceptance: life itself, with all its chaos, is the story.