Soulless 2
Max Andreev thought the best place to start a new life would be at the other end of the world. What he didn't know, is that you can't outrun your past.
Despite its modest budget of $2.3M, Soulless 2 became a box office success, earning $9.2M worldwide—a 306% return. The film's compelling narrative found its audience, showing that strong storytelling can transcend budget limitations.
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%)
Soulless 2 (2015) exhibits strategically placed plot construction, characteristic of Roman Prygunov's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 11-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 47 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.7, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Max is living a successful but hollow life as a top Moscow investment banker, wealthy and powerful but emotionally disconnected from everything around him.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Max experiences a severe health crisis - a heart attack or psychological breakdown - that forces him to confront his mortality and the consequences of his lifestyle. His perfect facade begins to crack.. 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.
At 54 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat False defeat: Max's past catches up with him - either his old company pulls him back in, or consequences from his previous life threaten his new path. The stakes are raised and his transformation seems impossible., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 80 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Max loses everything he's been building in his new life - perhaps a relationship ends, he fails completely at his attempt to change, or someone important leaves or dies. His hope for transformation appears dead., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 86 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Max confronts his former world with new wisdom. He faces down the antagonistic forces - whether external enemies or his own demons - and executes his plan to resolve the story on his own terms, integrating his past and future selves., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Soulless 2's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 11 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping Soulless 2 against these established plot points, we can identify how Roman Prygunov utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Soulless 2 within the drama genre.
Roman Prygunov's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Roman Prygunov films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.8, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Soulless 2 takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Roman Prygunov filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Roman Prygunov analyses, see Soulless.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Max is living a successful but hollow life as a top Moscow investment banker, wealthy and powerful but emotionally disconnected from everything around him.
Theme
A colleague or friend comments on the emptiness of chasing money and status without purpose, questioning what it all means in the end - foreshadowing Max's journey toward finding meaning beyond materialism.
Worldbuilding
Establishing Max's world of luxury, corporate excess, shallow relationships, and moral compromises. We see his daily routine, his colleagues, his lifestyle, and the ethical corners he cuts to maintain his position.
Disruption
Max experiences a severe health crisis - a heart attack or psychological breakdown - that forces him to confront his mortality and the consequences of his lifestyle. His perfect facade begins to crack.
Resistance
Max resists changing his ways, debates whether to continue his old life or make real changes. He may encounter someone who challenges his worldview or offers an alternative path, but he's not ready to commit to transformation.
Act II
ConfrontationPremise
Max explores life outside his corporate bubble. He experiences genuine connections, simpler pleasures, and begins to understand what authentic living means. This is the promise of the premise - seeing Max try to become human again.
Midpoint
False defeat: Max's past catches up with him - either his old company pulls him back in, or consequences from his previous life threaten his new path. The stakes are raised and his transformation seems impossible.
Opposition
Max struggles between his old and new worlds. External pressures mount from his former life while his internal demons and habitual patterns resurface. The antagonistic forces - whether corporate rivals, his own greed, or societal expectations - close in.
Collapse
Max loses everything he's been building in his new life - perhaps a relationship ends, he fails completely at his attempt to change, or someone important leaves or dies. His hope for transformation appears dead.
Crisis
Max hits rock bottom emotionally. He processes his failure and confronts the fundamental question: will he return to his soulless existence or find the strength to truly change? This is his dark night of the soul.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Max confronts his former world with new wisdom. He faces down the antagonistic forces - whether external enemies or his own demons - and executes his plan to resolve the story on his own terms, integrating his past and future selves.