Titane
A woman with a metal plate in her head from a childhood car accident embarks on a bizarre journey, bringing her into contact with a firefighter who's reunited with his missing son after 10 years.
The film disappointed at the box office against its limited budget of $6.6M, earning $5.0M globally (-25% loss).
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%)
Titane (2021) demonstrates carefully calibrated plot construction, characteristic of Julia Ducournau's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 11-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 48 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.2, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Young Alexia as a child in the car with her father, dancing provocatively to music. This establishes her defiant, attention-seeking nature and the strained father-daughter relationship that will define her emotional void.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Alexia kills the obsessive fan who follows her from the motor show with her hairpin, stabbing him brutally in the ear. This act of violence sets her on a path of escalating murders and forces her to flee her life.. 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.
At 54 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat Vincent injects steroids and dances with Alexia at the fire station party. This moment of false victory—seeming acceptance and connection—is undercut by the physical toll on both their bodies. Alexia's pregnancy becomes harder to hide and Vincent's drug use escalates. The stakes rise dramatically., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 81 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Alexia's body breaks down completely. She collapses, her belly grotesquely distended, and Vincent discovers the truth about her identity and pregnancy. The whiff of death is literal—she is dying from the impossible pregnancy, and her false identity dies as well., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 86 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Vincent helps Alexia through the excruciating birth. The baby is delivered—a seemingly normal child despite its impossible origin. Alexia lies dying, her body destroyed by the pregnancy, but she has finally experienced love and been truly seen by another person. Vincent holds both Alexia and the child., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Titane's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 11 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Titane against these established plot points, we can identify how Julia Ducournau utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Titane within the drama genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Young Alexia as a child in the car with her father, dancing provocatively to music. This establishes her defiant, attention-seeking nature and the strained father-daughter relationship that will define her emotional void.
Theme
The car accident occurs and the doctor says "She'll be fine" after inserting the titanium plate. The theme of transformation through trauma and the merging of flesh and metal is established—what breaks us also reshapes us.
Worldbuilding
Adult Alexia works as a showgirl at motor shows, dancing erotically on cars. We see her isolated existence, her sexual relationship with automobiles, and her violent reaction to unwanted human touch. The world of fetishized machinery and Alexia's disconnection from humanity is established.
Disruption
Alexia kills the obsessive fan who follows her from the motor show with her hairpin, stabbing him brutally in the ear. This act of violence sets her on a path of escalating murders and forces her to flee her life.
Resistance
Alexia discovers she is pregnant from her sexual encounter with a car. She goes on a killing spree, murdering her housemate and parents. She must decide how to escape as police search for the missing boy Adrien. She debates her options and breaks her own nose to disguise herself.
Act II
ConfrontationPremise
Alexia navigates life as Adrien within the hypermasculine firefighter community. She binds her growing pregnant belly, participates in their rituals, and forms a tentative bond with Vincent. The premise explores identity, transformation, and the search for belonging in the most unlikely place.
Midpoint
Vincent injects steroids and dances with Alexia at the fire station party. This moment of false victory—seeming acceptance and connection—is undercut by the physical toll on both their bodies. Alexia's pregnancy becomes harder to hide and Vincent's drug use escalates. The stakes rise dramatically.
Opposition
Alexia's body betrays her as the pregnancy advances and motor oil leaks from her breasts. The firefighters grow suspicious. Vincent becomes more possessive and desperate. Alexia's attempts to harm the baby fail. The physical and emotional pressure intensifies as her dual deceptions become unsustainable.
Collapse
Alexia's body breaks down completely. She collapses, her belly grotesquely distended, and Vincent discovers the truth about her identity and pregnancy. The whiff of death is literal—she is dying from the impossible pregnancy, and her false identity dies as well.
Crisis
Vincent processes the revelation in the dark night of the soul. Rather than reject Alexia, he makes the choice to help her through the birth. Alexia surrenders to vulnerability for the first time, allowing herself to be seen and cared for in her moment of ultimate weakness.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Vincent helps Alexia through the excruciating birth. The baby is delivered—a seemingly normal child despite its impossible origin. Alexia lies dying, her body destroyed by the pregnancy, but she has finally experienced love and been truly seen by another person. Vincent holds both Alexia and the child.