The Ice Storm
During the 1973 Thanksgiving weekend, the Hoods are - relationship-wise, skidding out-of-control, isolated from each other; Benjamin reels from drink-to-drink, His wife, Elena's losing patience with Ben's incessant lies. Home for the holidays, their son, Paul, heads into Manhattan, in search of a rich girl from his prep school. Wendy, the teenage daughter, roams the neighborhood, exploring the liquor and lingerie of her friends' parents, looking for something - anything - new. Then, an ice storm hits, and their problems seem inconsequential, and nothing will ever be the same.
The film financial setback against its respectable budget of $18.0M, earning $8.0M globally (-55% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its bold vision within the drama genre.
1 BAFTA Award8 wins & 33 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%)
The Ice Storm (1997) demonstrates strategically placed plot construction, characteristic of Ang Lee's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 53 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 Paul Hood on the train reading Fantastic Four, narrating about the molecular structure of ice and family entropy. Establishes theme of disconnection and frozen emotional states in 1973 suburban America.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Janey Carver coldly dismisses Ben after sex, saying their affair is "recreational" and meaningless. Ben's fantasy of romance is shattered, disrupting his escape from family unhappiness.. 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 26% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to The Hoods and Carvers actively choose to attend the adult key party, crossing into a world of explicit sexual experimentation. This irreversible decision launches them into moral ambiguity and consequences., moving from reaction to action.
At 57 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat At the key party, Elena draws Ben's keys - forced to confront her husband's affair directly. False defeat: the moment that should bring honesty instead brings deeper humiliation and pain. The stakes raise dramatically., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 84 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Mikey Carver touches a downed power line and is electrocuted, dying in the frozen night. The literal "whiff of death" - innocence destroyed by parental negligence and moral decay. The darkest moment of the film., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 90 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Morning after the storm. The Hood family drives to pick up Paul from the train station together - the first unified family action. They recognize the cost of disconnection and the need for authentic presence with each other., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Ice Storm'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 Ice Storm against these established plot points, we can identify how Ang Lee utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Ice Storm within the drama genre.
Ang Lee's Structural Approach
Among the 11 Ang Lee films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.8, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. The Ice Storm represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Ang Lee filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Ang Lee analyses, see The Wedding Banquet, Gemini Man and Lust, Caution.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Paul Hood on the train reading Fantastic Four, narrating about the molecular structure of ice and family entropy. Establishes theme of disconnection and frozen emotional states in 1973 suburban America.
Theme
Ben Hood watches Nixon's Watergate speech on TV: "I am not a crook." The lies of authority figures and parents mirror the family's own deceptions - the theme of dishonesty and moral decay in American life.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to the Hood and Carver families. Ben's affair with Janey Carver, Elena's growing suspicion, the children's sexual experimentation. Thanksgiving preparations and suburban ennui establish the world of emotional disconnection.
Disruption
Janey Carver coldly dismisses Ben after sex, saying their affair is "recreational" and meaningless. Ben's fantasy of romance is shattered, disrupting his escape from family unhappiness.
Resistance
Characters debate how to respond to their unhappiness. Elena considers confronting Ben, Wendy explores sexuality with the Carver boys, Paul pursues Libbets at prep school. The impending key party and ice storm loom. Everyone hesitates at the edge of transformation.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
The Hoods and Carvers actively choose to attend the adult key party, crossing into a world of explicit sexual experimentation. This irreversible decision launches them into moral ambiguity and consequences.
Mirror World
Paul's storyline with Libbets Casey in New York serves as the thematic mirror - his honest, awkward teenage desire contrasts with his parents' dishonest adult affairs. Young love reflects what the adults have lost.
Premise
The "promise of the premise" - exploration of 1970s sexual liberation and suburban dysfunction. The key party unfolds, children wander unsupervised, the ice storm begins. Characters explore this new world of crossed boundaries and moral ambiguity.
Midpoint
At the key party, Elena draws Ben's keys - forced to confront her husband's affair directly. False defeat: the moment that should bring honesty instead brings deeper humiliation and pain. The stakes raise dramatically.
Opposition
Everything intensifies. Elena leaves the party in disgust, Ben paired with his mistress's husband's wife. The children are lost in the storm - Wendy and Mikey outdoors, Paul stranded trying to get home. The ice storm worsens as moral and natural order collapse.
Collapse
Mikey Carver touches a downed power line and is electrocuted, dying in the frozen night. The literal "whiff of death" - innocence destroyed by parental negligence and moral decay. The darkest moment of the film.
Crisis
Ben discovers Mikey's frozen body and carries him home. The emotional darkness following the collapse. Characters process the horror and their complicity. Silence and grief replace the earlier pretense.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Morning after the storm. The Hood family drives to pick up Paul from the train station together - the first unified family action. They recognize the cost of disconnection and the need for authentic presence with each other.
Synthesis
The family reunites at the train station. Elena, Ben, Wendy, and Paul sit together in the car. No words needed - the shared grief and recognition of what they've almost lost brings them together. Resolution through presence, not solutions.
Transformation
Ben breaks down crying in the car, surrounded by his family. Elena touches his shoulder - the first genuine physical and emotional connection. From frozen isolation to human warmth, from lies to shared vulnerability. The ice has broken.