Shoot the Moon
A fifteen year marriage dissolves, leaving both the husband and wife, and their four children, devastated. He's preoccupied with a career and a mistress, she with a career and caring for four young children. While they attempt to go their separate ways, jealousy and bitterness reconnect them.
The film earned $8.1M at the global box office.
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award7 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%)
Shoot the Moon (1982) reveals meticulously timed narrative design, characteristic of Alan Parker's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 4 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.2, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes The Dunlap family prepares for their daughter's tennis awards ceremony, presenting an image of suburban family life with George, Faith, and their four daughters, though tension simmers beneath the surface.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 16 minutes when George announces he's leaving the family. Despite already being in an affair, his departure makes the collapse of the marriage official and unavoidable, shattering the fragile family structure.. 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 Faith begins a relationship with Frank, the tennis coach, actively choosing to move on rather than wait for George. This decision commits her to exploring life beyond her marriage., moving from reaction to action.
At 62 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat George discovers Faith's relationship with Frank and realizes he's lost her. What seemed like a separation he controlled becomes real loss. His attempts to return to the family are now complicated by Faith's new attachment., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 93 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, George violently crashes Frank's house with a bulldozer, destroying property in a rage-filled breakdown. This act of destruction represents the death of any possibility of reconciliation or civilized co-existence., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 99 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Faith and George reach an unspoken understanding that they must find a way to co-exist for their children, even though the marriage is irretrievably broken. They accept the permanent separation., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Shoot the Moon'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 Shoot the Moon against these established plot points, we can identify how Alan Parker utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Shoot the Moon within the drama genre.
Alan Parker's Structural Approach
Among the 9 Alan Parker films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Shoot the Moon represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Alan Parker filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Alan Parker analyses, see The Life of David Gale, Evita and Fame.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
The Dunlap family prepares for their daughter's tennis awards ceremony, presenting an image of suburban family life with George, Faith, and their four daughters, though tension simmers beneath the surface.
Theme
At the ceremony, a speaker mentions how "love means staying together through difficult times," ironically foreshadowing the central question of whether love is enough to save a failing marriage.
Worldbuilding
We see the Dunlap household dynamics: George is a successful writer but emotionally distant, Faith manages the children and home, their daughters navigate between them. The marriage appears functional but hollow, with George already involved with another woman.
Disruption
George announces he's leaving the family. Despite already being in an affair, his departure makes the collapse of the marriage official and unavoidable, shattering the fragile family structure.
Resistance
Faith struggles with George's departure while maintaining normalcy for the children. George sets up a new life. Both wrestle with whether reconciliation is possible or if they should move forward separately. The family debates what comes next.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Faith begins a relationship with Frank, the tennis coach, actively choosing to move on rather than wait for George. This decision commits her to exploring life beyond her marriage.
Mirror World
Faith's relationship with Frank deepens, offering her attention, desire, and presence that George never provided. Frank represents the possibility of a healthier, more attentive partnership.
Premise
The premise explores what divorce looks like: George and Faith both pursue new relationships while co-parenting. The children witness their parents dating others. Both experience moments of freedom and connection outside their marriage, testing whether separate lives might work.
Midpoint
George discovers Faith's relationship with Frank and realizes he's lost her. What seemed like a separation he controlled becomes real loss. His attempts to return to the family are now complicated by Faith's new attachment.
Opposition
George becomes increasingly erratic and jealous, unable to accept Faith's independence. Faith struggles between Frank and her obligations to her family. The children suffer as their parents' conflict intensifies. George's behavior grows more desperate and destructive.
Collapse
George violently crashes Frank's house with a bulldozer, destroying property in a rage-filled breakdown. This act of destruction represents the death of any possibility of reconciliation or civilized co-existence.
Crisis
In the aftermath of George's violent outburst, both Faith and George confront the complete devastation of their relationship. The family sits with the reality that there is no going back to what was.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Faith and George reach an unspoken understanding that they must find a way to co-exist for their children, even though the marriage is irretrievably broken. They accept the permanent separation.
Synthesis
The family gathers for another event, navigating their new reality. George and Faith interact with painful civility. The children adapt to their parents' separation. Both parents attempt to forge a new normal from the wreckage.
Transformation
A final moment shows the family forever changed—still connected by their children but separated by unbridgeable distance. The image mirrors the opening but reveals the transformation: what looked like a family is now fragments learning to coexist.