Local Hero
An American oil company sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things don't go as expected.
Working with a limited budget of $4.2M, the film achieved a modest success with $5.9M in global revenue (+40% 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%)
Local Hero (1983) reveals strategically placed plot construction, characteristic of Bill Forsyth's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 10-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 51 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 Mac MacIntyre in his sterile Houston office, a corporate drone living a soulless existence defined by materialistic success and disconnection from nature.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The Collapse moment at 83 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Happer arrives and Mac must face the reality that the deal will close. His fantasy of staying in Ferness, of a different life, dies. He realizes he has no power to stop what's coming and must return to his empty corporate existence., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 89 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Resolution in Ferness: celebrations, farewells, Mac's bittersweet departure from the place and people who changed him, and his return to Houston carrying the memory of authentic life and community., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Local Hero's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 10 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Local Hero against these established plot points, we can identify how Bill Forsyth utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Local Hero within the comedy genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Mac MacIntyre in his sterile Houston office, a corporate drone living a soulless existence defined by materialistic success and disconnection from nature.
Theme
Happer tells Mac, "I want to make a contribution... something for humanity." The theme: what truly matters in life - commercial success or connection to place and people?
Worldbuilding
Establishing Mac's empty corporate world in Houston, his assignment to acquire a Scottish village, and the cold business machinery of Knox Oil. We see his ambition, shallowness, and readiness to exploit anything for profit.
Resistance
Mac travels to Scotland with Danny Oldsen, arrives in Aberdeen, meets local agent Gordon Urquhart, and begins the journey to Ferness. Resistance and culture clash emerge as the corporate Americans encounter Scottish reality.
Act II
ConfrontationPremise
Mac experiences the promise of Ferness: the beauty of the landscape, the warmth of the community, quirky locals, growing attraction to Marina, pub gatherings, and beach walks. He begins to fall in love with the place he's been sent to destroy.
Opposition
Complications arise: Ben Knox (the beach owner) refuses to sell, Mac's internal conflict intensifies as he wants to stay in Ferness, Danny finds his own connection, and Mac realizes the corporate deal will destroy everything he's come to love.
Collapse
Happer arrives and Mac must face the reality that the deal will close. His fantasy of staying in Ferness, of a different life, dies. He realizes he has no power to stop what's coming and must return to his empty corporate existence.
Crisis
Mac struggles with the imminent loss of Ferness and his dream of escape. Happer negotiates with Ben while Mac processes that he cannot stay, cannot save the village, and must accept his fate.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Resolution in Ferness: celebrations, farewells, Mac's bittersweet departure from the place and people who changed him, and his return to Houston carrying the memory of authentic life and community.
Transformation
Mac back in his sterile Houston apartment, calling the Ferness phone box hoping to hear the village again. He's transformed internally but trapped externally - aware of what life could be but unable to escape his corporate cage. Bittersweet enlightenment.