Ma
Sue Ann is a loner who keeps to herself in her quiet Ohio town. One day, she is asked by Maggie, a new teenager in town, to buy some booze for her and her friends, and Sue Ann sees the chance to make some unsuspecting, if younger, friends of her own.
Despite its modest budget of $5.0M, Ma became a massive hit, earning $61.2M worldwide—a remarkable 1124% return. The film's bold vision engaged audiences, confirming that strong storytelling can transcend budget limitations.
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%)
Ma (2019) demonstrates deliberately positioned narrative architecture, characteristic of Tate Taylor's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 39 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.5, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Maggie arrives in her mother's hometown, starting at a new high school. She's the outsider trying to fit in with local teens.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Sue Ann (Ma) offers to buy alcohol for the teens and invites them to party in her basement. The teens are thrilled to have found a "cool" adult ally.. 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 25 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to The teens fully commit to partying at Ma's basement regularly. Ma becomes their go-to hangout spot, and they actively choose to keep returning despite minor red flags., moving from reaction to action.
At 50 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat Ma's behavior becomes undeniably threatening. The teens witness her cruelty and realize she's dangerous. False defeat: they try to cut ties but Ma won't let them go. Stakes raise dramatically., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 72 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Ma kidnaps the teens and their parents, chaining them in her basement. The whiff of death: she begins torturing them, and it's clear she plans to kill them all. All hope seems lost., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 79 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Maggie and Genie team up. Genie turns against her mother, providing the key to escape. The realization: the daughters must stop the cycle of trauma their parents created., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Ma'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 Ma against these established plot points, we can identify how Tate Taylor utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Ma within the horror genre.
Tate Taylor's Structural Approach
Among the 4 Tate Taylor films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.2, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Ma represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Tate Taylor filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional horror films include Lake Placid, Cat's Eye and From Darkness. For more Tate Taylor analyses, see The Help, Get on Up and The Girl on the Train.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Maggie arrives in her mother's hometown, starting at a new high school. She's the outsider trying to fit in with local teens.
Theme
A character mentions how high school cruelty never really leaves you - it stays with people forever. This foreshadows the film's exploration of trauma and revenge.
Worldbuilding
Maggie befriends local teens, they struggle to buy alcohol, establishing the social dynamics and the teens' desire for a safe party place.
Disruption
Sue Ann (Ma) offers to buy alcohol for the teens and invites them to party in her basement. The teens are thrilled to have found a "cool" adult ally.
Resistance
The teens debate whether to trust Ma. She seems fun and accommodating, creating a party haven. Initial concerns are dismissed as they enjoy their newfound freedom.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
The teens fully commit to partying at Ma's basement regularly. Ma becomes their go-to hangout spot, and they actively choose to keep returning despite minor red flags.
Mirror World
Ma's daughter Genie is introduced, living isolated upstairs. She represents what happens when Ma's control goes unchecked - a mirror to the teens' potential fate.
Premise
The "fun" of partying at Ma's while disturbing behavior escalates: obsessive texts, surprise appearances, boundary violations. The promise of the premise - psychological horror masked as hospitality.
Midpoint
Ma's behavior becomes undeniably threatening. The teens witness her cruelty and realize she's dangerous. False defeat: they try to cut ties but Ma won't let them go. Stakes raise dramatically.
Opposition
Ma escalates her stalking and violence. Flashbacks reveal her traumatic high school humiliation. The teens' parents (her former bullies) get involved. Ma's revenge plan becomes clear and she closes in.
Collapse
Ma kidnaps the teens and their parents, chaining them in her basement. The whiff of death: she begins torturing them, and it's clear she plans to kill them all. All hope seems lost.
Crisis
The captives face their darkest moment, confronting the consequences of past cruelty. Maggie processes that her friends' parents caused this. Ma reveals her full trauma and plan.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Maggie and Genie team up. Genie turns against her mother, providing the key to escape. The realization: the daughters must stop the cycle of trauma their parents created.
Synthesis
Final confrontation with Ma. The teens fight back, the house catches fire. Ma's revenge is thwarted through the combined efforts of those she tried to control. Climactic violence and escape.
Transformation
Maggie and her mother embrace in safety. The closing image shows them leaving the town, having survived. The cycle is broken - unlike Ma, they choose to move forward, not backward.