Marrowbone
Three brothers and a sister have just lost their mother. After her death they fear to be separated, so to protect themselves and prevent this from happening they decide to flee to an abandoned farm, a place that is not what it seems, because it hides a dark secret between its walls.
Working with a tight budget of $8.0M, the film achieved a steady performer with $12.3M in global revenue (+54% profit margin).
2 wins & 2 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%)
Marrowbone (2017) exemplifies strategically placed narrative design, characteristic of Sergio G. Sánchez's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 51 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.3, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes The Marrowbone siblings arrive at their remote family estate in America, seeking a fresh start away from their troubled past in England. Jack, the eldest, leads his younger siblings Jane, Billy, and Sam toward their mother's childhood home.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Their mother dies before Jack turns 21, which means social services will separate the siblings. Jack must hide her death and pretend to be an adult to keep the family together, setting the central lie in motion.. At 11% 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 27 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to A lawyer named Tom visits, needing the mother's signature to finalize the property sale that would give them financial security. Jack must forge the signature and actively commits to the deception, crossing the point of no return. The family is now trapped in their lie., moving from reaction to action.
At 53 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 48% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat The entity in the attic becomes violently active, attacking through the ceiling. Jack realizes they can no longer ignore or contain the threat. The supernatural horror element escalates, transforming their manageable secret into an active danger., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 81 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, The attic horror breaks through. In the chaos, Billy dies tragically. Jack's ability to protect his family—his core identity—completely collapses. The "whiff of death" is literal, and Jack's reality shatters., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 87 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 78% of the runtime. The devastating truth is revealed: Jack has been alone the entire six months. Jane, Billy, and Sam were killed by their father when he found them. Jack killed his father and locked the body in the attic. The "ghost" was his own fractured psyche. His siblings were hallucinations born from trauma and guilt., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Marrowbone's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Marrowbone against these established plot points, we can identify how Sergio G. Sánchez utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Marrowbone within the drama genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
The Marrowbone siblings arrive at their remote family estate in America, seeking a fresh start away from their troubled past in England. Jack, the eldest, leads his younger siblings Jane, Billy, and Sam toward their mother's childhood home.
Theme
Their mother tells them: "Nobody can hurt us here. We're safe now. We can be whoever we want to be." The theme of identity, reinvention, and the impossibility of escaping the past is established.
Worldbuilding
The family settles into Marrowbone estate. Jack befriends local girl Allie. The children's mother falls ill. We learn they're hiding from their abusive father and have taken their mother's maiden name. The house is established as both sanctuary and prison, with mirrors covered throughout.
Disruption
Their mother dies before Jack turns 21, which means social services will separate the siblings. Jack must hide her death and pretend to be an adult to keep the family together, setting the central lie in motion.
Resistance
Six months later. Jack and his siblings maintain the deception that their mother is alive but bedridden. They hide from the outside world, with only Allie as their connection. Strange sounds emanate from the attic. The siblings debate how long they can maintain this life.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
A lawyer named Tom visits, needing the mother's signature to finalize the property sale that would give them financial security. Jack must forge the signature and actively commits to the deception, crossing the point of no return. The family is now trapped in their lie.
Mirror World
Jack's relationship with Allie deepens. She represents the normal life and honesty he cannot have. She teaches him about trust and openness, embodying the thematic counterpoint to the family's secrets and isolation.
Premise
The siblings live in their constructed reality, maintaining elaborate deceptions. The mysterious presence in the attic grows more threatening. Jack tries to balance protecting his siblings, pursuing romance with Allie, and keeping their secrets. The gothic mystery atmosphere intensifies.
Midpoint
The entity in the attic becomes violently active, attacking through the ceiling. Jack realizes they can no longer ignore or contain the threat. The supernatural horror element escalates, transforming their manageable secret into an active danger.
Opposition
The haunting intensifies. The lawyer Tom becomes suspicious and investigates their situation. Allie grows closer but senses something wrong. The siblings' fear escalates. Billy is particularly traumatized. The walls are literally closing in as the thing upstairs gains power.
Collapse
The attic horror breaks through. In the chaos, Billy dies tragically. Jack's ability to protect his family—his core identity—completely collapses. The "whiff of death" is literal, and Jack's reality shatters.
Crisis
Jack reaches his darkest emotional point. The truth begins to surface through fragmented memories. We see glimpses that reality may not be what we've been shown. Jack confronts the unbearable weight of guilt and trauma.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
The devastating truth is revealed: Jack has been alone the entire six months. Jane, Billy, and Sam were killed by their father when he found them. Jack killed his father and locked the body in the attic. The "ghost" was his own fractured psyche. His siblings were hallucinations born from trauma and guilt.
Synthesis
Jack must face the full truth of what happened. Allie discovers the reality and tries to help him. Tom pieces together the tragedy. Jack confronts his father's corpse and the memories he's suppressed. He must choose between continuing the delusion or accepting the unbearable truth.
Transformation
Jack surrenders to authorities, finally accepting reality. Unlike the opening image of hopeful arrival, he leaves Marrowbone alone, having lost everything but gained a terrible clarity. The house stands empty, its mirrors still covered, the past never truly escapable.