Naples in Veils
During an occult ceremony in an old house, a young handsome man seduces Adriana. They spend the night together and make an appointment, but the young man does not come. The next day, Adriana finds out that her lover was killed. Police inspectors also report to the shocked Adriana that the deceased photographed her naked during sleep. Wanting to figure out what is happening, Adriana decides to conduct her investigation.
The film earned $7.2M at the global box office.
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%)
Naples in Veils (2017) exhibits strategically placed story structure, characteristic of Ferzan Özpetek's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 53 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.7, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Adriana, a medical examiner in Naples, lives a controlled, rational life dedicated to her work with the dead. She navigates the city's streets with professional detachment.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Adriana meets Andrea, a mysterious and seductive stranger at a party. Their encounter is charged with immediate, overwhelming passion that disrupts her orderly existence.. 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 28 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Adriana chooses to fully commit to the passionate affair with Andrea, abandoning her previously controlled life and surrendering to desire and emotion., moving from reaction to action.
At 57 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat Adriana discovers disturbing information suggesting Andrea may be dead or never existed as she believed. False defeat: her quest seems impossible, yet she cannot abandon it., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 85 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Adriana reaches her darkest moment of despair, confronting the full truth about Andrea's death and the impossibility of their love. The whiff of death is literal—her beloved is gone., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 90 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Adriana realizes that love transcends death and reason. She accepts the mystery rather than demanding rational answers, synthesizing passion with acceptance of Naples' supernatural reality., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Naples in Veils'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 Naples in Veils against these established plot points, we can identify how Ferzan Özpetek utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Naples in Veils within the drama genre.
Ferzan Özpetek's Structural Approach
Among the 6 Ferzan Özpetek films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Naples in Veils represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Ferzan Özpetek filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Ferzan Özpetek analyses, see Saturn in Opposition, Facing Windows and Loose Cannons.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Adriana, a medical examiner in Naples, lives a controlled, rational life dedicated to her work with the dead. She navigates the city's streets with professional detachment.
Theme
A colleague or friend mentions that Naples is a city of mysteries and veils, where the boundary between the living and the dead is thin, suggesting one must surrender to passion rather than reason.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Adriana's world: her work at the morgue, her relationship with her aunt, the mystical atmosphere of Naples with its underground passages and ancient secrets, and her rational, controlled approach to life.
Disruption
Adriana meets Andrea, a mysterious and seductive stranger at a party. Their encounter is charged with immediate, overwhelming passion that disrupts her orderly existence.
Resistance
Adriana debates whether to pursue this intense connection. She experiences passionate encounters with Andrea but hesitates to fully surrender her rational control. The affair becomes increasingly consuming.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Adriana chooses to fully commit to the passionate affair with Andrea, abandoning her previously controlled life and surrendering to desire and emotion.
Mirror World
Andrea suddenly and mysteriously disappears without explanation, leaving Adriana devastated and searching for answers. This absence becomes the relationship that carries the theme of love beyond reason.
Premise
Adriana obsessively searches for Andrea throughout Naples' hidden places. She explores the city's underground world, follows mysterious clues, and experiences supernatural encounters that blur reality and fantasy.
Midpoint
Adriana discovers disturbing information suggesting Andrea may be dead or never existed as she believed. False defeat: her quest seems impossible, yet she cannot abandon it.
Opposition
Adriana's obsession deepens despite warnings from others. Reality and hallucination intertwine as she descends further into Naples' mysteries. Her rational mind wars with supernatural experiences and overwhelming grief.
Collapse
Adriana reaches her darkest moment of despair, confronting the full truth about Andrea's death and the impossibility of their love. The whiff of death is literal—her beloved is gone.
Crisis
Adriana mourns in darkness, processing the loss and the transformation that her passion has wrought. She sits with the pain of loving someone who exists between worlds.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Adriana realizes that love transcends death and reason. She accepts the mystery rather than demanding rational answers, synthesizing passion with acceptance of Naples' supernatural reality.
Synthesis
Adriana makes peace with the experience, integrating her emotional awakening into her life. She navigates the final revelations about Andrea and her own transformation, accepting mystery over certainty.
Transformation
Adriana walks through Naples transformed—no longer the detached rationalist, but someone who has surrendered to passion, accepted mystery, and been forever changed by a love that transcended the veil between worlds.