The Truth
Fabienne is a star; a star of French cinema. She reigns amongst men who love and admire her. When she publishes her memoirs, her daughter Lumir returns from New York to Paris with her husband and young child. The reunion between mother and daughter will quickly turn to confrontation: truths will be told, accounts settled, loves and resentments confessed.
The film earned $4.9M at the global box office.
1 win & 7 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 Truth (2019) showcases deliberately positioned plot construction, characteristic of Hirokazu Kore-eda's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 46 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.7, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Fabienne Dangeville
Lumir
Hank
Charlotte
Luc
Main Cast & Characters
Fabienne Dangeville
Played by Catherine Deneuve
An aging French actress publishing her memoirs, self-centered and manipulative yet commanding presence in cinema and family.
Lumir
Played by Juliette Binoche
Fabienne's daughter, a screenwriter living in America, returns to Paris to confront unresolved issues with her mother.
Hank
Played by Ethan Hawke
Lumir's husband, an American TV actor who struggles with French language and family dynamics.
Charlotte
Played by Clémentine Grenier
Lumir and Hank's young daughter, innocent observer of the family tensions.
Luc
Played by Roger Van Hool
Fabienne's husband and former actor, gentle and supportive presence in the household.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Fabienne Dangeville, legendary French actress, prepares for the launch of her memoir. She is imperious, demanding, and in complete control of her domain—her home, her staff, her narrative.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Lumir arrives from America with her husband Hank and daughter Charlotte. The reunion is cordial but immediately tense—Fabienne barely acknowledges her granddaughter and treats Hank dismissively. Lumir has read the memoir and her expression reveals she has found something disturbing.. 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 27 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Lumir directly confronts Fabienne about the memoir's inaccuracies, particularly the omission and distortion of their relationship. She accuses her mother of rewriting history. This marks Lumir's active choice to seek the truth rather than maintaining polite distance., moving from reaction to action.
At 53 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat A major confrontation about Sarah Mondavan, the actress who died young and whom Lumir idolized. Fabienne reveals harsh truths about Sarah that shatter Lumir's idealized memories. The revelation raises stakes: if Lumir's own memories are false, how can she trust her grievances against her mother?., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 80 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Lumir reaches her breaking point. In a raw emotional scene, she confronts her mother about her childhood neglect, about feeling unloved and unseen. Fabienne refuses to apologize or acknowledge wrongdoing. The "death" is metaphorical—the death of Lumir's hope that her mother will ever validate her pain or change., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 85 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Lumir has a realization while watching the film-within-the-film or through a conversation with Hank. She understands that her mother will never change, and that seeking her mother's validation gives Fabienne power over her. The truth isn't in the memoir—it's in accepting reality as it is., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Truth's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping The Truth against these established plot points, we can identify how Hirokazu Kore-eda utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Truth within the drama genre.
Hirokazu Kore-eda's Structural Approach
Among the 4 Hirokazu Kore-eda films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.4, reflecting strong command of classical structure. The Truth represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Hirokazu Kore-eda filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include After Thomas, South Pacific and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. For more Hirokazu Kore-eda analyses, see Nobody Knows, Like Father, Like Son and Still Walking.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Fabienne Dangeville, legendary French actress, prepares for the launch of her memoir. She is imperious, demanding, and in complete control of her domain—her home, her staff, her narrative.
Theme
Discussion about memory and truth in Fabienne's memoir. A character notes that the book is "more interesting than the truth," establishing the film's central question about the nature of personal narrative and the stories we tell ourselves.
Worldbuilding
Fabienne's world in Paris is established: her assistant Luc, her home filled with art and memories, preparations for the memoir launch. We see her narcissism, her charm, her complicated relationship with truth. She begins work on a new sci-fi film about a mother who doesn't age.
Disruption
Lumir arrives from America with her husband Hank and daughter Charlotte. The reunion is cordial but immediately tense—Fabienne barely acknowledges her granddaughter and treats Hank dismissively. Lumir has read the memoir and her expression reveals she has found something disturbing.
Resistance
Lumir settles into her mother's home while reading more of the memoir. Small confrontations begin as she challenges her mother's version of events. Hank tries to mediate. Fabienne continues filming her sci-fi movie. Lumir debates whether to directly confront her mother about the lies in the book.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Lumir directly confronts Fabienne about the memoir's inaccuracies, particularly the omission and distortion of their relationship. She accuses her mother of rewriting history. This marks Lumir's active choice to seek the truth rather than maintaining polite distance.
Mirror World
The sci-fi film-within-the-film becomes prominent. In it, Fabienne plays the daughter of an astronaut mother (played by younger actress Manon) who doesn't age, reversing their real dynamic. This parallel story carries the theme of mother-daughter relationships, memory, and time.
Premise
The "promise of the premise"—watching the fraught mother-daughter dynamic play out over dinners, film shoots, and daily life. Conversations about the past, about Sarah Mondavan (a mysterious actress from Fabienne's past), about motherhood and art. Hank provides comic relief and perspective. Little Charlotte observes everything.
Midpoint
A major confrontation about Sarah Mondavan, the actress who died young and whom Lumir idolized. Fabienne reveals harsh truths about Sarah that shatter Lumir's idealized memories. The revelation raises stakes: if Lumir's own memories are false, how can she trust her grievances against her mother?
Opposition
Tension escalates. Lumir digs deeper into confronting her mother, but Fabienne remains largely unmoved, defending her choices and her art. The film-within-the-film mirrors their conflict. Hank struggles with his own feelings about his career versus Fabienne's success. Family dinners become battlegrounds of passive-aggression and painful honesty.
Collapse
Lumir reaches her breaking point. In a raw emotional scene, she confronts her mother about her childhood neglect, about feeling unloved and unseen. Fabienne refuses to apologize or acknowledge wrongdoing. The "death" is metaphorical—the death of Lumir's hope that her mother will ever validate her pain or change.
Crisis
Lumir processes the emotional devastation. She watches her mother on set, sees Charlotte playing, talks with Hank. A period of dark reflection where she must decide: keep fighting for acknowledgment she'll never receive, or find another way forward.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Lumir has a realization while watching the film-within-the-film or through a conversation with Hank. She understands that her mother will never change, and that seeking her mother's validation gives Fabienne power over her. The truth isn't in the memoir—it's in accepting reality as it is.
Synthesis
Final interactions between mother and daughter carry a different energy. Lumir stops fighting against her mother's nature. There's a tentative, bittersweet peace. The memoir launch or a final family dinner. Lumir prepares to return to America with her family, having gained acceptance if not reconciliation.
Transformation
Closing image mirrors the opening but shows transformation. Lumir with Charlotte, perhaps doing something nurturing that Fabienne never did. Or a final look between mother and daughter that contains understanding without resolution—accepting the truth of who they are to each other.