The Goddess of Fortune
Alessandro and Arturo have been a couple for more than 15 years. Although passion and love have turned into an important affection, their relationship has been in crisis for some time. The sudden arrival in their lives of two children left in custody for a few days by Alessandro's best friend could give an unexpected turn to their tired routine. The solution will be a crazy gesture; on the other hand, love is a state of pleasant madness.
Despite its limited budget of $4.0M, The Goddess of Fortune became a commercial success, earning $8.3M worldwide—a 107% return.
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 Goddess of Fortune (2019) exemplifies precise narrative design, characteristic of Ferzan Özpetek's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 54 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 Alessandro and Arturo, a longtime gay couple in Rome, live in a beautiful apartment but their relationship has grown distant and stagnant after fifteen years together. They maintain the appearance of domestic life but the passion has faded.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Annamaria desperately asks Alessandro and Arturo to take care of her two young children, Leone and Sandro, for what she says will be just a weekend. She's in crisis but won't explain why. The request disrupts their entire comfortable existence.. 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.
The First Threshold at 28 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to The children arrive with their suitcases. Alessandro and Arturo fully commit to taking them in, despite not knowing how long it will be. They cross into a new world of unexpected parenthood that will test and transform their relationship., moving from reaction to action.
At 57 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat False victory: Alessandro and Arturo share a genuine moment of connection while watching the children sleep. They realize they're functioning as a family unit and it feels good. For the first time in years, they feel united in purpose. But Annamaria's situation remains unresolved., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 86 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Alessandro and Arturo have a devastating fight where all their years of buried resentment explode. Arturo suggests they can't do this anymore - not the children, not their relationship. The family unit they've built threatens to collapse, and with it, any hope of saving their relationship., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 92 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Alessandro and Arturo have an honest conversation where they finally acknowledge what they've learned: that love requires active presence, sacrifice, and choice. They decide to fight for their family - both the temporary one with the children and their own relationship. They see clearly what matters., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Goddess of Fortune'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 The Goddess of Fortune against these established plot points, we can identify how Ferzan Özpetek utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Goddess of Fortune within the drama genre.
Ferzan Özpetek's Structural Approach
Among the 6 Ferzan Özpetek films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. The Goddess of Fortune takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Ferzan Özpetek filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Ferzan Özpetek analyses, see Saturn in Opposition, Facing Windows and Loose Cannons.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Alessandro and Arturo, a longtime gay couple in Rome, live in a beautiful apartment but their relationship has grown distant and stagnant after fifteen years together. They maintain the appearance of domestic life but the passion has faded.
Theme
Annamaria, their close friend, tells them during a conversation: "You need to remember what it means to take care of someone other than yourselves." This plants the seed of the film's theme about rediscovering love through responsibility and sacrifice.
Worldbuilding
We see Alessandro's work as a translator, Arturo's career frustrations, their comfortable but emotionally empty routine, their circle of friends including Annamaria, and the cracks in their relationship - separate bedrooms, polite distance, unspoken resentments.
Disruption
Annamaria desperately asks Alessandro and Arturo to take care of her two young children, Leone and Sandro, for what she says will be just a weekend. She's in crisis but won't explain why. The request disrupts their entire comfortable existence.
Resistance
Alessandro and Arturo debate whether they can handle this. They're unprepared for children and their relationship is already fragile. They awkwardly try to prepare their home and lives for the kids, revealing how disconnected they are from both parenthood and each other.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
The children arrive with their suitcases. Alessandro and Arturo fully commit to taking them in, despite not knowing how long it will be. They cross into a new world of unexpected parenthood that will test and transform their relationship.
Mirror World
The children, especially young Leone, begin to show Alessandro and Arturo what unconditional love and presence look like. Leone's innocence and need for care mirror what Alessandro and Arturo have stopped giving each other.
Premise
The "fun and games" of two sophisticated gay men learning to be surrogate parents: school runs, homework battles, cooking meals, attending to childhood illnesses and fears. They stumble, argue, but slowly find a rhythm. The kids bring life and chaos back into their sterile home.
Midpoint
False victory: Alessandro and Arturo share a genuine moment of connection while watching the children sleep. They realize they're functioning as a family unit and it feels good. For the first time in years, they feel united in purpose. But Annamaria's situation remains unresolved.
Opposition
The strain intensifies: Annamaria remains hospitalized and unreachable, the children's trauma begins to surface, social judgment from schools and other parents emerges, and Alessandro and Arturo's old conflicts resurface under pressure. Arturo's resentments about career and life choices boil over.
Collapse
Alessandro and Arturo have a devastating fight where all their years of buried resentment explode. Arturo suggests they can't do this anymore - not the children, not their relationship. The family unit they've built threatens to collapse, and with it, any hope of saving their relationship.
Crisis
In the darkness after their fight, both men separately reflect on what they've become and what they're about to lose. The children sense the tension. Alessandro and Arturo face the real possibility that they've failed - both the kids and themselves.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Alessandro and Arturo have an honest conversation where they finally acknowledge what they've learned: that love requires active presence, sacrifice, and choice. They decide to fight for their family - both the temporary one with the children and their own relationship. They see clearly what matters.
Synthesis
Alessandro and Arturo reunite and work together to provide stability for Leone and Sandro. When Annamaria finally returns, they help facilitate the difficult reunion. They've proven they can be partners again, combining their individual strengths with their renewed commitment to each other.
Transformation
Final image mirrors the opening but transformed: Alessandro and Arturo in their apartment, but now they're truly present with each other, touching, connected. The space that was beautiful but cold is now filled with warmth. They've rediscovered how to love actively, not passively.