The Best Is Yet to Come
Two friends decide to live all the things they couldn't after a huge misunderstanding.
The film underperformed commercially against its modest budget of $13.0M, earning $7.2M globally (-45% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its innovative storytelling within the comedy genre.
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%)
The Best Is Yet to Come (2019) reveals deliberately positioned narrative architecture, characteristic of Matthieu Delaporte's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 57 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.0, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Han Yan
Liu Guangming
Mao Mao
Father
Mother
Main Cast & Characters
Han Yan
Played by Yao Chen
A struggling journalist diagnosed with ovarian cancer who seeks meaning and financial security while confronting her mortality
Liu Guangming
Played by Li Jiuxiao
Han Yan's kind-hearted and patient love interest who works as a funeral home driver
Mao Mao
Played by Wu Yufang
Han Yan's supportive best friend and confidante who provides emotional grounding
Father
Played by Yuan Wenkang
Han Yan's father who represents traditional family expectations and generational conflict
Mother
Played by Li Jianyi
Han Yan's mother who struggles with her daughter's independence and illness
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Han Dong arrives in Beijing with dreams of becoming a journalist despite lacking a college degree. He lives in a cramped basement apartment, scraping by while searching for opportunity in the media industry.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Han Dong finally lands an internship at a major newspaper. Editor Huang Jiang gives him a chance despite his lack of formal education, opening the door to his dream career.. 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 29 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Han Dong commits to investigating the hepatitis B discrimination story after meeting affected individuals. He chooses to pursue this controversial investigation despite warnings that it could end his career before it begins., moving from reaction to action.
At 59 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat Han Dong's investigation gains momentum when he uncovers a network of fake medical certificate sellers exploiting desperate hepatitis B carriers. The story is bigger than he imagined—a false victory as the deeper he goes, the more dangerous it becomes., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 88 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Han Dong's investigation is shut down. His fake credentials are exposed, threatening his entire career. One of his key sources, a hepatitis B carrier he had promised to help, attempts suicide out of despair—the human cost of discrimination made devastatingly personal., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 94 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Han Dong realizes the story is bigger than his career. With renewed conviction and support from Huang Jiang, he decides to publish the investigation regardless of personal consequences—the truth matters more than his ambition., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Best Is Yet to Come's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping The Best Is Yet to Come against these established plot points, we can identify how Matthieu Delaporte utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Best Is Yet to Come within the comedy genre.
Matthieu Delaporte's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Matthieu Delaporte films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. The Best Is Yet to Come exemplifies the director's characteristic narrative technique. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Matthieu Delaporte filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, Ella Enchanted and The Evening Star. For more Matthieu Delaporte analyses, see The Count of Monte Cristo.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Han Dong arrives in Beijing with dreams of becoming a journalist despite lacking a college degree. He lives in a cramped basement apartment, scraping by while searching for opportunity in the media industry.
Theme
Editor Huang Jiang tells Han Dong that real journalism is about giving voice to those who have none—speaking truth for people society has forgotten or deliberately ignored.
Worldbuilding
Han Dong's precarious life in Beijing is established: his relationship with supportive girlfriend Xiao Zhu, his multiple failed attempts to get journalism work, and the competitive media landscape of early 2000s China where credentials matter more than talent.
Disruption
Han Dong finally lands an internship at a major newspaper. Editor Huang Jiang gives him a chance despite his lack of formal education, opening the door to his dream career.
Resistance
Han Dong learns the craft of investigative journalism under Huang Jiang's mentorship. He struggles with small assignments while yearning for meaningful stories, and begins to hear whispers about discrimination against hepatitis B carriers in employment.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Han Dong commits to investigating the hepatitis B discrimination story after meeting affected individuals. He chooses to pursue this controversial investigation despite warnings that it could end his career before it begins.
Mirror World
Han Dong forms a deep connection with hepatitis B carriers he interviews, particularly seeing how they form underground support networks. Their resilience despite systemic discrimination mirrors his own struggle as an outsider without credentials in journalism.
Premise
Han Dong goes undercover to expose the discrimination. He infiltrates companies, documents illegal blood testing practices, and gathers evidence of systematic exclusion of hepatitis B carriers from employment. His investigation reveals the scale of injustice affecting over 100 million Chinese citizens.
Midpoint
Han Dong's investigation gains momentum when he uncovers a network of fake medical certificate sellers exploiting desperate hepatitis B carriers. The story is bigger than he imagined—a false victory as the deeper he goes, the more dangerous it becomes.
Opposition
Powerful interests push back against Han Dong's investigation. His lack of credentials is exposed and used against him. The newspaper faces pressure to kill the story. His relationship with Xiao Zhu strains under the weight of his obsession with the investigation.
Collapse
Han Dong's investigation is shut down. His fake credentials are exposed, threatening his entire career. One of his key sources, a hepatitis B carrier he had promised to help, attempts suicide out of despair—the human cost of discrimination made devastatingly personal.
Crisis
Han Dong faces his darkest moment. Everything he worked for seems lost. He questions whether his pursuit of this story was worth the cost to himself and others. Xiao Zhu and Huang Jiang force him to confront what kind of journalist—and person—he wants to be.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Han Dong realizes the story is bigger than his career. With renewed conviction and support from Huang Jiang, he decides to publish the investigation regardless of personal consequences—the truth matters more than his ambition.
Synthesis
The investigation is published, sparking national attention. Han Dong's story contributes to real policy changes protecting hepatitis B carriers from employment discrimination. He reconciles with Xiao Zhu and earns respect as a true journalist—not through credentials, but through courage and integrity.
Transformation
Han Dong stands as a legitimate journalist who changed society. The outsider without credentials has become a voice for the voiceless. Text reveals the real-world impact: China's laws were changed to protect hepatitis B carriers from discrimination.