Plenty
Susan Traherne has been irreparably changed by her wartime experiences as a Resistance fighter. She sets out in the post-war world to make her way to what she wants, no matter who is hurt, or how.
The film disappointed at the box office against its modest budget of $10.0M, earning $6.1M globally (-39% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its bold vision within the drama genre.
Nominated for 2 BAFTA 2 wins & 5 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%)
Plenty (1985) exhibits meticulously timed narrative architecture, characteristic of Fred Schepisi's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 14-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 4 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes 1962: Susan stands disheveled in an empty room, her life in ruins. This opening shows the "after" state - a woman destroyed by peacetime.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 16 minutes when 1947: Susan realizes Lazar, her wartime lover who represented purpose and clarity, is gone forever. She must face peacetime England alone without the meaning war provided.. 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 31 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to 1951: Susan chooses to marry Raymond Brock, a diplomat, hoping that respectability and his career might provide the structure and purpose she lacks. She actively enters the world of conventional society., moving from reaction to action.
At 63 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat 1956 Suez Crisis: At a diplomatic dinner, Susan has an outburst criticizing British foreign policy and her husband's complicity. The mask of conformity cracks publicly. False defeat: her attempt to fit into society is failing., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 94 minutes (76% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Susan's final complete breakdown: she destroys Raymond's career with a public scene. Her marriage collapses. The death of her hope that conventional life could provide meaning. Raymond leaves, taking with him her last connection to stability., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 100 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Susan chooses to retreat fully into memory. She seeks out Lazar, her wartime lover, hoping to recapture what was lost. Understanding that the present is unbearable, she turns to the past., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Plenty's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 14 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Plenty against these established plot points, we can identify how Fred Schepisi utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Plenty within the drama genre.
Fred Schepisi's Structural Approach
Among the 7 Fred Schepisi films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.2, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Plenty takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Fred Schepisi filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Fred Schepisi analyses, see Mr. Baseball, Roxanne and The Russia House.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
1962: Susan stands disheveled in an empty room, her life in ruins. This opening shows the "after" state - a woman destroyed by peacetime.
Theme
1943 France: A fellow agent tells Susan about hope for the future after the war. The theme: the disconnect between wartime purpose and peacetime emptiness.
Worldbuilding
Establishes Susan's world through time jumps: her wartime competence as SOE agent in occupied France (1943-44) contrasted with her post-war aimlessness in London (1947). Shows her romance with parachutist Lazar and her inability to find meaning in peace.
Disruption
1947: Susan realizes Lazar, her wartime lover who represented purpose and clarity, is gone forever. She must face peacetime England alone without the meaning war provided.
Resistance
Susan attempts to create meaning through unconventional choices: seeking a man to father her child without commitment, working in advertising, befriending bohemian Alice. She resists conventional post-war domesticity while searching for purpose.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
1951: Susan chooses to marry Raymond Brock, a diplomat, hoping that respectability and his career might provide the structure and purpose she lacks. She actively enters the world of conventional society.
Mirror World
Raymond represents the thematic opposite: a man who accepts compromise, mediocrity, and playing by society's rules. He embodies the conformity Susan both needs and despises.
Premise
Susan attempts to function as a diplomat's wife through the 1950s. She navigates social occasions, diplomatic functions, and proper society, but her wartime clarity and current emptiness create increasing friction with the polite hypocrisies required.
Midpoint
1956 Suez Crisis: At a diplomatic dinner, Susan has an outburst criticizing British foreign policy and her husband's complicity. The mask of conformity cracks publicly. False defeat: her attempt to fit into society is failing.
Opposition
Susan's mental state deteriorates. Her behavior becomes more erratic and destructive. Raymond's career suffers from her outbursts. The gap between who she was during the war and who she must be in peace becomes unbridgeable. Society closes in as she becomes increasingly isolated.
Collapse
Susan's final complete breakdown: she destroys Raymond's career with a public scene. Her marriage collapses. The death of her hope that conventional life could provide meaning. Raymond leaves, taking with him her last connection to stability.
Crisis
Susan confronts the wreckage of her post-war life. Alone, unstable, she faces the reality that she cannot adapt to a world without the clarity and purpose that war provided. The darkness of meaninglessness.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Susan chooses to retreat fully into memory. She seeks out Lazar, her wartime lover, hoping to recapture what was lost. Understanding that the present is unbearable, she turns to the past.
Synthesis
Susan finds Lazar but he is ordinary now, diminished by peace like everything else. The reunion fails to restore meaning. She cannot go back. The finale confirms her tragedy: she is trapped between a meaningful past and an empty present.