Stillwater
Bill Baker, an American oil-rig roughneck from Oklahoma, travels to Marseille to visit his estranged daughter, Allison, who is in prison for a murder she claims she did not commit. Confronted with language barriers, cultural differences, and a complicated legal system, Bill builds a new life for himself in France as he makes it his personal mission to exonerate his daughter.
The film underperformed commercially against its moderate budget of $20.0M, earning $19.8M globally (-1% loss).
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%)
Stillwater (2021) exhibits strategically placed plot construction, characteristic of Tom McCarthy's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 19 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Bill Baker, an Oklahoma oil rig worker, lives a simple, solitary life marked by past mistakes and estrangement from his daughter Allison, who is imprisoned in Marseille for a murder she claims she didn't commit.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 17 minutes when Allison gives Bill a letter for her lawyer containing new evidence about a man named Akim who she claims committed the murder. When the lawyer refuses to pursue it, Bill is faced with his daughter's desperation and his own powerlessness.. 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 35 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Bill decides to investigate Akim himself, lying to Allison about the lawyer's involvement. He commits to staying in Marseille indefinitely, crossing into a world of deception and vigilante justice to save his daughter., moving from reaction to action.
At 70 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat Bill finds Akim at a housing project and, with help from a local young man, kidnaps him and locks him in the basement of Virginie's building. This false victory—he's caught the "real killer"—actually represents Bill's complete moral descent and the point of no return., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 104 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Allison confesses to Bill that she did kill her roommate in a fight, and Akim only helped dispose of the body. Bill's entire quest was built on a lie. The daughter he sacrificed everything for is guilty, and he has become a kidnapper for nothing., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 111 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Bill chooses to take Allison back to Oklahoma, accepting that he cannot fix her or erase her guilt, but he can be present. He lets go of redemption through heroic action and accepts the quieter truth: showing up is enough., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Stillwater's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Stillwater against these established plot points, we can identify how Tom McCarthy utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Stillwater within the drama genre.
Tom McCarthy's Structural Approach
Among the 5 Tom McCarthy films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.2, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Stillwater takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Tom McCarthy filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Tom McCarthy analyses, see Spotlight, The Visitor and Win Win.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Bill Baker, an Oklahoma oil rig worker, lives a simple, solitary life marked by past mistakes and estrangement from his daughter Allison, who is imprisoned in Marseille for a murder she claims she didn't commit.
Theme
Allison's lawyer tells Bill, "You can't fix everything," establishing the central theme of redemption, responsibility, and whether a flawed person can make amends for past failures through present actions.
Worldbuilding
Bill travels to Marseille to visit Allison in prison. We learn their strained relationship, his history of absence and addiction, and Allison's conviction for murdering her roommate. Bill stays in a hotel, navigating a foreign culture and language barrier while trying to help his daughter.
Disruption
Allison gives Bill a letter for her lawyer containing new evidence about a man named Akim who she claims committed the murder. When the lawyer refuses to pursue it, Bill is faced with his daughter's desperation and his own powerlessness.
Resistance
Bill debates what to do, hampered by language barriers and legal limitations. He meets Virginie, a French actress and single mother, and her daughter Maya. Virginie helps translate the letter, and Bill wrestles with whether to take matters into his own hands.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Bill decides to investigate Akim himself, lying to Allison about the lawyer's involvement. He commits to staying in Marseille indefinitely, crossing into a world of deception and vigilante justice to save his daughter.
Mirror World
Bill grows closer to Virginie and Maya, essentially becoming part of their family. This surrogate family relationship represents the father Bill could have been, offering him a chance at redemption through present-day connection and care.
Premise
Bill searches Marseille for Akim with help from Virginie's connections. He builds a life in France, working construction, living with Virginie and Maya, and playing father. He balances his investigation with his new makeshift family, experiencing the connection he never had with Allison.
Midpoint
Bill finds Akim at a housing project and, with help from a local young man, kidnaps him and locks him in the basement of Virginie's building. This false victory—he's caught the "real killer"—actually represents Bill's complete moral descent and the point of no return.
Opposition
Bill keeps Akim imprisoned while trying to extract a confession. The moral weight increases as Virginie discovers the truth and is horrified. Allison is released on procedural grounds, but Bill knows the truth is more complicated. His dual life becomes unsustainable.
Collapse
Allison confesses to Bill that she did kill her roommate in a fight, and Akim only helped dispose of the body. Bill's entire quest was built on a lie. The daughter he sacrificed everything for is guilty, and he has become a kidnapper for nothing.
Crisis
Bill must confront what he's become and what he's done. He releases Akim and faces the destruction of his relationship with Virginie. He sits with the weight of his choices, unable to undo the past or fix what's broken.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Bill chooses to take Allison back to Oklahoma, accepting that he cannot fix her or erase her guilt, but he can be present. He lets go of redemption through heroic action and accepts the quieter truth: showing up is enough.
Synthesis
Bill and Allison return to Stillwater, Oklahoma. Bill helps Allison rebuild her life, finding her work and supporting her sobriety. He continues his construction work and maintains his own recovery, living simply but present for his daughter in a way he never was before.
Transformation
Bill watches Allison at her job, a quiet moment of connection without words. Unlike the opening, where he was absent and disconnected, he is now present and engaged. He didn't save her, but he stayed—the truest form of fatherhood he could offer.