Swiss Army Man
Hank, stranded on a deserted island and about to kill himself, notices a corpse washed up on the beach. He befriends it, naming it Manny, only to discover that his new friend can talk and has a myriad of supernatural abilities...which may help him get home.
Working with a limited budget of $3.0M, the film achieved a steady performer with $5.8M in global revenue (+93% profit margin).
8 wins & 31 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%)
Swiss Army Man (2016) showcases precise story structure, characteristic of The Daniels's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 37 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 4.8, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Hank, utterly alone and hopeless on a deserted island, prepares to hang himself. His isolation and despair establish a world where death seems preferable to loneliness.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 9 minutes when Hank and Manny crash-land on a new shore. Hank realizes he's still lost in the wilderness, but now has a magical corpse companion. The corpse begins to speak, transforming from object to relationship.. At 9% through the film, this Disruption arrives earlier than typical, accelerating the narrative momentum. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 21 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 22% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Hank commits to using Manny to get home, creating an elaborate world of trash-built sets to teach Manny about life and simulate human connection. He actively chooses imagination and play over giving up., moving from reaction to action.
At 44 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 45% of the runtime—arriving early, accelerating into Act IIb complications. Significantly, this crucial beat False victory: Hank and Manny discover they're close to civilization (they find a road). Hank fully opens up, confessing his shame and loneliness. They sing together in radical vulnerability. The stakes raise: what happens when the fantasy meets reality?., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 64 minutes (66% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Hank is discovered in Sarah's garage with Manny's corpse. Sarah screams, her husband arrives with a gun, police are called. Hank's worst fear realized: he is exposed as the weird, shameful person he feared he was. Manny "dies" (stops being magical)., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 70 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 72% of the runtime. Hank sees Manny about to be taken away by coroners. He realizes he must choose: accept society's shame or embrace the beautiful, weird truth of their journey. He chooses Manny, grabbing the corpse and running toward the ocean., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Swiss Army Man's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Swiss Army Man against these established plot points, we can identify how The Daniels utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Swiss Army Man within the comedy genre.
The Daniels's Structural Approach
Among the 2 The Daniels films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 5.5, showcasing experimental approaches to narrative form. Swiss Army Man takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete The Daniels filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more The Daniels analyses, see Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Hank, utterly alone and hopeless on a deserted island, prepares to hang himself. His isolation and despair establish a world where death seems preferable to loneliness.
Theme
Manny (though dead) will later ask "If you don't know Jurassic Park, you probably don't know what a boner is?" The film's central question: can we embrace our embarrassing, bodily, "gross" humanity and still find connection?
Worldbuilding
Hank's suicide attempt is interrupted by Manny's corpse washing ashore. Hank discovers the corpse has magical flatulence that propels it like a jet ski. He rides Manny across the ocean back toward land, establishing the film's absurdist tone.
Disruption
Hank and Manny crash-land on a new shore. Hank realizes he's still lost in the wilderness, but now has a magical corpse companion. The corpse begins to speak, transforming from object to relationship.
Resistance
Hank debates whether Manny is real or a hallucination. He teaches Manny about life, love, and the world while discovering Manny's magical abilities (shooting water, chopping wood, starting fires). Hank resists fully opening up emotionally.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Hank commits to using Manny to get home, creating an elaborate world of trash-built sets to teach Manny about life and simulate human connection. He actively chooses imagination and play over giving up.
Mirror World
Hank introduces Manny to "Sarah" (a magazine photo of a woman from Hank's phone). This imaginary love interest becomes the thematic heart: Hank uses her to teach Manny about romance while revealing his own desperate loneliness and fear of rejection.
Premise
The "fun and games" of using a magical corpse. Hank and Manny journey through the woods using Manny's abilities. Hank stages elaborate scenes about life, love, and buses. Their friendship deepens as Hank slowly reveals his true shameful self.
Midpoint
False victory: Hank and Manny discover they're close to civilization (they find a road). Hank fully opens up, confessing his shame and loneliness. They sing together in radical vulnerability. The stakes raise: what happens when the fantasy meets reality?
Opposition
Hank realizes the real Sarah lives nearby. His fantasy is confronted by reality. Manny begins questioning Hank's teachings, noticing contradictions. They find Sarah's house. Hank's shame intensifies as the gap between his fantasy world and real life narrows.
Collapse
Hank is discovered in Sarah's garage with Manny's corpse. Sarah screams, her husband arrives with a gun, police are called. Hank's worst fear realized: he is exposed as the weird, shameful person he feared he was. Manny "dies" (stops being magical).
Crisis
Hank is rescued but humiliated. The media and crowd treat him as a disgusting freak. His father arrives, ashamed. Hank reverts to shame, denying everything, calling Manny "just a corpse." He has lost both his magic and his authenticity.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Hank sees Manny about to be taken away by coroners. He realizes he must choose: accept society's shame or embrace the beautiful, weird truth of their journey. He chooses Manny, grabbing the corpse and running toward the ocean.
Synthesis
Hank carries Manny to the beach, confessing everything to his father and Sarah in front of the crowd. He refuses to be ashamed anymore. Manny reanimates one final time, farting across the ocean as everyone watches in stunned wonder.
Transformation
Hank stands on the beach, having shed his shame, as Manny farts away into the horizon. Sarah and others watch in awe. Hank has transformed from suicidal and isolated to radically authentic, choosing weirdness and truth over social acceptance.