Official Secrets
A morality tale for the 21st century, Official Secrets tells the true story of British Intelligence whistle-blower Katharine Gun who, during the immediate run-up to the 2003 Iraq invasion, leaked a top secret NSA memo exposing a joint US-UK illegal spying operation against members of the UN Security Council. The memo proposed blackmailing smaller, undecided member states into voting for war. At great personal and professional risk, journalist Martin Bright published the leaked document in The Observer newspaper in London, and the story made headlines around the world. Members of the Security Council were outraged and any chance of a UN resolution in favour of war collapsed. But within days, Bush declared he no longer needed UN backing and invaded anyway. As Iraq descended into chaos, Katharine was arrested and charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act. Martin faced potential charges too. Their legal battles exposed the highest levels of government in both London and Washington with having manipulated intelligence in order to sell an illegal war.
The film earned $10.1M at the global box office.
5 wins & 16 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%)
Official Secrets (2019) showcases deliberately positioned narrative architecture, characteristic of Gavin Hood's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 52 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.9, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Katharine Gun works as a Mandarin translator at GCHQ, living a quiet life with her Kurdish husband Yasar. She's a dedicated civil servant who believes in the system she serves.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Katharine receives and reads the NSA memo from Frank Koza requesting GCHQ's help to spy on UN Security Council delegates to coerce them into supporting the Iraq War resolution. Her ordinary world is shattered by this evidence of illegal activity.. 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 illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Katharine makes the irreversible choice to leak the memo, printing it and passing it to her friend Yvonne, who has anti-war connections. She crosses the threshold from loyal civil servant to whistleblower., moving from reaction to action.
At 56 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat GCHQ launches an internal investigation to find the leaker. Katharine, unable to bear watching colleagues be interrogated, confesses to her superiors. This false defeat raises the stakes—she's no longer anonymous and faces prosecution under the Official Secrets Act., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 84 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Yasar is detained by immigration authorities and faces immediate deportation. The government appears to be using him as leverage against Katharine. Her personal life is being destroyed as punishment for her moral stand—the whiff of death to her marriage and freedom., demonstrates 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. Human rights lawyer Ben Emmerson agrees to take Katharine's case pro bono. His legal strategy: challenge the legality of the Iraq War itself. If the war was illegal, Katharine had a duty to expose it. This synthesis of legal and moral arguments enables the final act., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Official Secrets's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Official Secrets against these established plot points, we can identify how Gavin Hood utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Official Secrets within the biography genre.
Gavin Hood's Structural Approach
Among the 4 Gavin Hood films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.5, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Official Secrets represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Gavin Hood filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional biography films include After Thomas, Taking Woodstock and The Fire Inside. For more Gavin Hood analyses, see X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ender's Game and Rendition.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Katharine Gun works as a Mandarin translator at GCHQ, living a quiet life with her Kurdish husband Yasar. She's a dedicated civil servant who believes in the system she serves.
Theme
A colleague mentions that they signed the Official Secrets Act and their duty is to the government, not to their own conscience—establishing the central tension between institutional loyalty and personal morality.
Worldbuilding
The world of British intelligence is established: the security protocols at GCHQ, Katharine's marriage to Yasar (a Kurdish asylum seeker), the mounting tension over the impending Iraq War, and the political climate of 2003.
Disruption
Katharine receives and reads the NSA memo from Frank Koza requesting GCHQ's help to spy on UN Security Council delegates to coerce them into supporting the Iraq War resolution. Her ordinary world is shattered by this evidence of illegal activity.
Resistance
Katharine wrestles with her conscience, debating whether to act. She consults with a friend, considers the risks to herself and Yasar, and watches anti-war protests. Meanwhile, journalist Martin Bright at The Observer investigates the lead-up to war.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Katharine makes the irreversible choice to leak the memo, printing it and passing it to her friend Yvonne, who has anti-war connections. She crosses the threshold from loyal civil servant to whistleblower.
Mirror World
Martin Bright and his Observer colleagues Ed Vulliamy and Peter Beaumont receive the leaked memo and begin investigating its authenticity. The journalists represent the Mirror World—they will carry the theme of truth-telling through institutional channels.
Premise
The promise of the premise unfolds: a whistleblower thriller. The Observer races to verify and publish the memo while Katharine waits anxiously. The memo is published, causing international shockwaves. Katharine watches the fallout, still anonymous.
Midpoint
GCHQ launches an internal investigation to find the leaker. Katharine, unable to bear watching colleagues be interrogated, confesses to her superiors. This false defeat raises the stakes—she's no longer anonymous and faces prosecution under the Official Secrets Act.
Opposition
The government closes in on Katharine. She's arrested and charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act. Her husband Yasar faces deportation as apparent retaliation. Legal complications mount as lawyers struggle to find a defense strategy.
Collapse
Yasar is detained by immigration authorities and faces immediate deportation. The government appears to be using him as leverage against Katharine. Her personal life is being destroyed as punishment for her moral stand—the whiff of death to her marriage and freedom.
Crisis
Katharine faces the dark night of the soul—her husband may be deported, she faces prison, and the war happened anyway. She must decide whether her sacrifice was worth it and whether to continue fighting or accept a plea deal.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Human rights lawyer Ben Emmerson agrees to take Katharine's case pro bono. His legal strategy: challenge the legality of the Iraq War itself. If the war was illegal, Katharine had a duty to expose it. This synthesis of legal and moral arguments enables the final act.
Synthesis
The trial begins at the Old Bailey. Emmerson's defense forces the prosecution to confront the legality question they desperately want to avoid. The government faces a choice: proceed and risk exposing their legal advice on the war, or drop the charges.
Transformation
The prosecution suddenly drops all charges rather than reveal the Attorney General's advice on the war's legality. Katharine walks free. The final image shows her leaving court—transformed from anonymous translator to public figure who exposed government wrongdoing, her conscience intact.