Script Analysis: “Midsommar” — Part 2: Plot

Read and analyze the script for the horror mystery which features a breakthrough performance by actress Florence Pugh.

Monday: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown
Tuesday: Plot
Wednesday: Characters
Thursday: Themes
Friday: Dialogue
Saturday: Takeaways

Today: Plot.

In every scene, something happens. A plot point is a scene or group of scenes in which something major happens, an event that impacts the narrative causing it to turn in a new direction.

A relevant anecdote. Years ago, I was on the phone with a writer discussing a script project. My son Will, who was about four years old at the time, must have been listening to me talking about “plot points” during the conversation because after I hung up, he asked, “Daddy, what’s a plop point?”

That’s in effect what a plot point is. It’s an event that ‘plops’ into the narrative and changes its course. So when you think Plot Point, think Plop Point!

The value of this exercise:

• To identify the backbone of the story structure.
• To examine each major plot point and see how it is effective as an individual event.
• To analyze the major plot points in aggregate to determine why they work together as the central plot.

This week: Midsommar. You can download the script here.

Written by Ari Aster.

Plot Summary: A couple travels to Sweden to visit a rural hometown’s fabled mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.

Major kudos to David Young for doing this week’s scene-by-scene breakdown.

To download a PDF of the breakdown for Midsommar, click here.

For Part 1, to read the Scene-By-Scene Breakdown discussion, go here.

I hope to see you in the RESPONSE section about this week’s script: Midsommar.