The Ferpect Crime
A playboy has the tables turned on him when he finds himself being used as a plaything by an undesirable woman.
Working with a small-scale budget of $6.0M, the film achieved a steady performer with $9.0M in global revenue (+51% profit margin).
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 Ferpect Crime (2004) reveals deliberately positioned dramatic framework, characteristic of Álex de la Iglesia's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 42 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 Rafael Gonzalez is introduced as the perfect salesman in the ladies' department - handsome, charming, successful, living his dream life as the department store's top performer and ladies' man.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Don Antonio is announced as the new floor manager instead of Rafael, shattering Rafael's perfect world and triggering his descent into desperation.. 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 26 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Rafael confronts Don Antonio on the roof and accidentally kills him during the struggle. He crosses into a new world of criminality, disposing of the body in the bathroom and committing to covering up the murder., moving from reaction to action.
At 51 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat Rafael marries Lourdes in a surreal, nightmarish ceremony. False defeat: he appears completely trapped, but this raises the stakes - can he escape this prison of his own making? His perfect life is now a complete inversion., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 77 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Rafael's carefully constructed cover story unravels. Don Antonio's body is discovered. Rafael's identity, ego, and sense of control - his entire sense of self - dies. He is utterly broken, exposed, and powerless., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 82 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Rafael realizes the full extent of his entrapment and accepts his fate. Rather than fighting or escaping, he surrenders to the new reality, achieving a twisted synthesis of his circumstances., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Ferpect Crime'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 The Ferpect Crime against these established plot points, we can identify how Álex de la Iglesia utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Ferpect Crime within the comedy genre.
Álex de la Iglesia's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Álex de la Iglesia films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.2, reflecting strong command of classical structure. The Ferpect Crime exemplifies the director's characteristic narrative technique. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Álex de la Iglesia filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Álex de la Iglesia analyses, see Four's a Crowd.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Rafael Gonzalez is introduced as the perfect salesman in the ladies' department - handsome, charming, successful, living his dream life as the department store's top performer and ladies' man.
Theme
A character remarks on the nature of perfection and appearances, hinting that what seems perfect on the surface may conceal darker truths underneath.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Rafael's superficial paradise: his rivalry with Don Antonio for the floor manager position, his rotation of romantic conquests, Lourdes' unrequited obsession with him, and the department store's competitive hierarchy.
Disruption
Don Antonio is announced as the new floor manager instead of Rafael, shattering Rafael's perfect world and triggering his descent into desperation.
Resistance
Rafael debates how to respond to losing the promotion. He schemes to sabotage Don Antonio, luring him to the roof under false pretenses. His vanity and entitlement wrestle with moral hesitation.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Rafael confronts Don Antonio on the roof and accidentally kills him during the struggle. He crosses into a new world of criminality, disposing of the body in the bathroom and committing to covering up the murder.
Mirror World
Lourdes reveals she witnessed the murder. This homely, obsessive coworker becomes Rafael's thematic mirror - representing everything he despises but cannot escape, forcing him into a grotesque parody of the romantic relationships he once controlled.
Premise
Rafael navigates his new reality: being blackmailed by Lourdes, forced into a relationship with her, maintaining his facade at work, getting the floor manager position he wanted but finding it hollow. Dark comedy of his entrapment.
Midpoint
Rafael marries Lourdes in a surreal, nightmarish ceremony. False defeat: he appears completely trapped, but this raises the stakes - can he escape this prison of his own making? His perfect life is now a complete inversion.
Opposition
Life with Lourdes deteriorates. She dominates him completely - professionally, socially, sexually. His attempts to escape or reassert control fail. His former conquests mock him. The investigation into Don Antonio's disappearance intensifies.
Collapse
Rafael's carefully constructed cover story unravels. Don Antonio's body is discovered. Rafael's identity, ego, and sense of control - his entire sense of self - dies. He is utterly broken, exposed, and powerless.
Crisis
Rafael spirals in despair, confronting the complete destruction of his "perfect" life. He processes that his vanity and superficiality led to his downfall. Dark night of the soul in both literal and metaphorical prison.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Rafael realizes the full extent of his entrapment and accepts his fate. Rather than fighting or escaping, he surrenders to the new reality, achieving a twisted synthesis of his circumstances.
Synthesis
The finale shows Rafael's complete transformation and the resolution of his arc. The consequences of his actions play out fully as he faces justice and the complete inversion of his former perfect life.
Transformation
Final image mirrors the opening: Rafael is now imprisoned, powerless, stripped of beauty and charm. Where he once stood triumphant in the ladies' department, he now exists in complete degradation - a dark, ironic transformation showing vanity's ultimate cost.