Script Analysis: “After the Wedding” — Part 1: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown
Read and analyze the script for the acclaimed drama mystery starring Michelle Williams, Julianne Moore, and Billy Crudup.
Reading scripts. Absolutely critical to learn the craft of screenwriting. The focus of this bi-weekly series is a deep structural and thematic analysis of each script we read. Our daily schedule:
Monday: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown
Tuesday: Plot
Wednesday: Characters
Thursday: Themes
Friday: Dialogue
Saturday: Takeaways
Today: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown. Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay:
After a first pass, it’s time to crack open the script for a deeper analysis and you can do that by creating a scene-by-scene breakdown. It is precisely what it sounds like: A list of all the scenes in the script accompanied by a brief description of the events that transpire.
For purposes of this exercise, I have a slightly different take on scene. Here I am looking not just for individual scenes per se, but a scene or set of scenes that comprise one event or a continuous piece of action. Admittedly this is subjective and there is no right or wrong, the point is simply to break down the script into a series of parts which you then can use dig into the script’s structure and themes.
The value of this exercise:
- We pare down the story to its most constituent parts: Scenes.
- By doing this, we consciously explore the structure of the narrative.
- A scene-by-scene breakdown creates a foundation for even deeper analysis of the story.
This week: After the Wedding. You can download the script here.
Written by Bart Freundlich.
Plot Summary: A manager of an orphanage in Kolkata travels to New York to meet a benefactor. A mystery unfolds as secrets are revealed.
After the Wedding
Scene-By-Scene Breakdown
By Nikhil Kamkolkar
GoIntoTheStory.blcklst.comPage numbers are page numbers indicated in the top-right corner of the screenplay and won’t always match actual page numbers of the PDF.
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Page 1 — Isabel leads a group of orphan children in a meditation exercise in a dilapidated temple in Calcutta, India
Pages 1–2 — Jai, a 7-year old boy, is in no mood to meditate and Isabel joins him in his playful mood, their special bond evident. Later, Isabel and the orphans distribute food to other impoverished children in the area. Jai is by her side as they return to the orphanage.
Pages 3–4 — Isabel learns they are running out of money for supplies from Jaques, and Preena reveals to Isabel that their donors have promised to give them two million dollars but only if Isabel goes to New York in person to convince them the orphanage is a worthy cause.
Pages 4–6 == Theresa snaps out orders to her assistant on the phone as her luxury sedan reaches her country mansion. She enters to see the beginnings of a party setup.
Pages 6–7 — She finds her twin boys Otto and Theo playing a video game who groan when she stops their game. She reads them a book instead and they love it.
Pages 7–9 — Oscar is with his workers who adjust the lighting on his sculptures at a gallery. His daughter Grace calls, excited and nervous about her wedding that weekend. He can hear her fiance Jonathan and their friends getting rowdy. Oscar reads her discomfort and comforts her.
Pages 9–10 — Oscar comes home to Theresa relaxing in the bathtub, and amid their parent-spouse banter, it’s clear they love each other as Oscar slides into the bathtub fully clothed and kisses her passionately.
Pages 11–12 — Isabel sleeps with Jaques. Jai’s cries get her out of bed. She finds Jai has wet himself. She comforts him and decides she won’t leave Jai to go to New York. Preena tries to have Jaques go instead, but the potential donor insists it has to be Isabel.
Pages 12–13 — Theresa is on a business call during her morning walk through the woods when she comes across a massive fallen tree. She spots a small bird’s nest on the ground with the eggs inside broken, while a bird circles above.
Pages 13–15 — Isabel on the plane to New York flashes back to her departure from the orphanage, and her promise to Jai to return for his birthday, and to Preena that she’ll return with a suitcase full of money
Pages 15–17 — Isabel arrives at JFK and a chauffeur-driven car takes her to Bowery hotel, where she’s given the Penthouse suite. Isabel doesn’t like all this excess and waste.
Pages 17–18 — Theresa checks up with Oscar on the wedding preparations over the phone. He expresses his doubts about the wedding. Theresa knows he was up the whole night, and Oscar realizes that means she was up too. But Theresa doesn’t admit to her doubts about it.
Pages 19–21 — Jonathan meets Isabel at her hotel and takes her to meet with Theresa, who is the donor Isabel is here to meet. Jonathan tells her he’s marrying Theresa’s daughter (Grace).
Pages 21–22 — In the Horison offices, a receptionist leads Isabel to the meeting room. Theresa cuts short her previous meeting soon as she spots Isabel.
Pages 22–27 — Isabel pitches the orphanage and its good work, but Theresa is distracted by wedding preparations and speaks of her family — how Grace is too young to marry, but she is choosing to give her a good wedding instead of fighting with her about it; how she has two twin boys she worked hard to have. She invites Isabel to the wedding to continue the conversation. Isabel isn’t happy about it, but has little choice. Theresa also reveals she’s selling her company.
Page 27 — Isabel suppresses her feelings, but feels a desperation inside to get out of there. She takes her shoes off to run down the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
Page 28–29 — Theresa returns home where manic wedding preparations are underway. Her twin sons race to her. She showers them with kisses. They point to an airborne drone that’ll take pictures of the wedding, and the pilot who let them fly it for a bit. She learns Grace is crabby.
Page 29–30 — Theresa goes to Oscar, mentions there’ll be an extra person at the wedding — someone from work,she says, without mentioning Isabel’s name. She leaves to find Grace.
Page 30–31 — Theresa finds Grace to make sure she’s not having second thoughts, which annoys Grace. An emotional mother-daughter conversation follows, but there’s a lot of love between them. Grace makes Theresa promise not to cry at the wedding so she doesn’t.
Page 31–32 — Theresa goes to her bedroom and takes some pills. She looks out of the window, feeling very emotional. She stifles a cry. Something’s not right with her.
Page 32–33 — Isabel speaks with Jai and Preen when she notices the hotel manager bring in some wedding dresses for the wedding, courtesy of Theresa.
Page 34–35 — Grace, nervous/tense, stands between Theresa and Oscar waiting for the ceremony to begin. They compliment her. The music begins.
Page 35 — The ceremony begins. Theresa and Oscar sit while Grace and Jonathan stand next to each other.
Page 35–37A — Isabel, wearing her own dress, is in a car stuck in traffic. She’s late. She reaches the house and discreetly enters the garden where the wedding is taking place. She takes a seat in the back. She watches a Monk administer the vows to the bride and groom.
Isabel spots Oscar and FREEZES! She FLASHES BACK to some abstract moments of a couple together. She gets up, disturbed, and heads back into the house where she paces in the foyer as the ceremony continues.
Page 37A — 40 — Isabel gathers herself and forces herself to step back into the garden.
Now Oscar spots her, seems to recognize her, and walks over to her. He asks Isabel what she’s doing there. Before Isabel can answer, Theresa walks over, seemingly unaware Oscar already knows Isabel. Both Oscar and Isabel don’t reveal this fact to Theresa.
Grace comes over. Isabel congratulates Grace and compliments the dress she’s wearing. Jonathan steps in and breaks up the group saying the party is on.
Page 41–44 — Jonathan kicks off his speech and it’s an awkward speech. Grace speaks next, addressing her speech to her parents. She reveals how she got really close to her dad because her birth mother had left her because she wasn’t well… and that’s how she had ended up with Theresa, her mother now.
Isabel reels from shock.
She gets up and leaves the tent, and Oscar watches her go.
Page 47–48 — One of the wedding guests hits on Isabel who’s sitting by herself far from the crowd. She screams at him to get away from her. He’s taken aback, and leaves.
Page 48–50 — Isabel returns and confronts Oscar, wanting to know something about Grace, but he tells her he’ll call her the next day and leaves. Isabel heads back to her hotel, ignoring the fireworks display to celebrate the wedding.
Page 50 — Oscar confronts Theresa asking her why she did “it”, presumably meaning why she invited Isabel, and Theresa responds that she “didn’t know it was her.” Oscar isn’t convinced she didn’t know, but says nothing.
Page 51 — Isabel waits for Oscar’s call which never comes so she decides to go to his house
Page 51–54 — Isabel arrives in the middle of Grace and Jonathan opening their presents. Isabel is soft towards Grace, but confronts Oscar for not calling her. Theresa asks the children to continue opening the presents while she moves them to a different room to talk.
Page 54–57 — Isabel and Oscar’s confrontation reveals Grace is Isabel and Oscar’s daughter, that they had decided to give away for adoption.
Oscar had not done that and had raised Grace himself. Isabel demands to know why he never told her this. Oscar responds saying Isabel was unhinged during that time and he did try to find her but she had run away the moment the hospital released her and he could not find her. Theresa tries to calm them both down. Isabel leaves after warning Oscar that he should tell Grace, or she will.
Page 57 — Grace senses something is off as Isabel leaves and Oscar tells her the truth. Theresa confirms it. Grace runs out, overcome with emotion at this shocking revelation.
Page 58–60 — Later, Grace confronts her father, and finds out the hotel where is Isabel is staying. She has Jonathan drop her off, but she is upset at how unenthusiastic he is about her wanting to meet her birth mother.
Page 60–64 — Grace meets Isabel, overcome by nerves. It’s a gentle, tentative meeting as Isabel gently comforts Grace by letting her know she is the only innocent person in this whole situation. Grace asks about the work she does in India, saying she has so many questions. They promise to meet again, and exchange numbers, and Grace leaves after a tentative, awkward, but sweet hug.
Page 64–65 — Isabel thinks back to the moment she said a special goodbye to the young child, Jai, at the orphanage, before she left for New York
Page 65–68 — Grace and Isabel meet in an Indian restaurant which Grace picked — her attempt to make Isabel feel “at home”. Isabel shares that Jai is in her life. Grace shares her childhood photo album with pictures of her and Theresa.
When Grace states she could never leave her baby, like Isabel left her, Isabel softly says that bringing Grace into the world was the best she could do at the time. Grace accepts that.
Page 68–69 — Grace admires Isabel’s tattoo and reveals Theresa has a tattoo too — an “O” for Oscar. She asks if Isabel is jealous of that. Isabel says no. She gifts Grace her necklace.
Page 70–71 — Theresa realizes the broken bird’s nest she had picked up near the fallen tree is gone from her closet. She confronts Oscar in front of his clients for taking it and trying to fix it. She screams at him to not try to fix everything in her life..
Page 71–75 — Isabel meets Theresa at a restaurant. She learns Theresa has sold her company and is giving Isabel money for the orphanage. But now, Isabel is suspicious of her motives. She accuses Theresa of knowing her connection to Grace when she invited Isabel to New York but Theresa denies it, saying she’s happy Isabel is connecting with Grace.
Page 76–77 — Theresa tells Oscar that she’s giving Isabel the money for her orphanage, but that she didn’t seem too grateful, just like Oscar wasn’t grateful to her for the things she did for him. She says they both are perfect for each other because they both were ungrateful towards her actions. She blows up at Oscar for playing the perfect parent, and the single dad card. Oscar handles the blow up as gracefully as he can.
Page 77–79 — Isabel meets Theresa in her office. Theresa informs her she’s giving her twenty million over six years through a fund that’ll be controlled by Isabel and Grace together. She says it’ll take a few days to formalize everything and she’d like Isabel to spend time with Grace and Oscar while she takes the twins and goes to her sister’s home for the weekend.
Page 78–81 — Oscar loads up the car for Theresa’s trip and she leaves with the twins.
Page 81–85 — Isabel comes to Oscar’s home. A tense conversation ensues where Isabel questions Theresa’s motives while Oscar defends his wife’s integrity. They calm down and Oscar asks if he can make her a coffee. They talk of each other’s work. They talk of what could have been between them.
Page 85–88 — Grace and Jonathan argue over where they’ll go for their honeymoon. Grace wants to go to India and Jonathan wants to go to Costa Rica. Jonathan expresses his annoyance at how Grace has changed overnight thanks to Isabel, then thoughtlessly reminds her that Isabel gave her up for adoption.
Page 88–89 — Shopping in a farmer’s market in the city reminds Isabel of the time she was shopping in India with Jai, and he very endearingly asked her to buy sweets for him. Which she did.
Page 90–92 — Grace asks Oscar all the questions on her mind. He answers truthfully and honestly. Why he didn’t let Grace be adopted as they had planned? Does he really love Theresa? Was Isabel a mistake? He lets Grace know he intended to let her be adopted, but on the last day, he couldn’t go through with it. He affirms he loves Theresa and that Isabel was not a mistake. They were just young. And although he tried to, he never could forget Isabel.
Page 92–93 — Oscar takes the fixed bird’s nest to hang up in Theresa’s room. As he searches for a pair of scissors, he finds Theresa’s hidden stockpile of medicines — lots of painkillers. He’s confused by why she needs them.
Page 93–96 — Oscar confronts Theresa when she returns saying he spoke to her doctor and now knows what’s ailing her. He’s not happy that she “knew for three months” and didn’t tell him. Although they never say it, we realize Theresa is dying from Cancer. Theresa says there’s nothing that can be done for her, and that there are no experimental treatments that can help. Theresa drives away, not ready to talk to Oscar about any of this.
Page 96–97 — Isabel remembers the time she promised Jai she’d return in time for his birthday, even as she’s on the phone now trying to wish him a happy birthday. Preena reminds her that she’s doing something very important for the orphanage by being in New York, even if that means she can’t be there for Jai.
Page 98–100 — Isabel learns that Theresa requires Isabel to reside in New York to get the money for the Orphanage. This requirement enrages Isabel who screams at Theresa that she cannot be bought, and leaves.
Page 101–102 — Theresa chases Isabel down and tells her that she’s dying. She tells Isabel that Grace needs her, that Oscar needs her and her twin sons need her. Then she asks in desperation: “Do I have to be half way across the world to get your help?” That question leaves Isabel speechless.
Page 102–105 — Isabel has her bags packed ready to leave for India. Grace arrives. She no longer wants to be married to Jonathan and asks for Isabel’s advice on what she should do, but Isabel asks her to decide for her own life. Grace angrily asks her if Isabel gave her up because that’s what she wanted to do. Realizing that was unfair, Grace apologizes for the outburst and Isabel apologizes to her too. They hug each other.
Page 105–106 — Isabel calls Preena and tells her she got the money, but that she has to live in New York as a requirement.
Page 106–108 — Isabel tells Oscar about Grace’s dilemma about not wanting to be married to Jonathan anymore. Grace is relieved to find out that Oscar isn’t mad at her. When she leaves to get coffee, Isabel persuades Oscar to tell her about Theresa’s condition. Grace overhears and asks them what they are talking about.
Page 108–110 — A lawyer helps Isabel and Theresa execute the contract when Grace arrives. Isabel leaves saying Grace is there to see Theresa, not her.
Page 110–112 — Grace confronts Theresa for not telling her she has cancer and is dying. Theresa tries to comfort her by saying Isabel will be there for her, but Grace brushes that away saying she doesn’t care about Isabel, and that Theresa is her mother and she doesn’t want Theresa to die. They hold each other and cry.
Page 112–114 — Theresa gets dressed up for an event and Oscar helps her get her earrings on. They pass by the twins who are busy playing — a day like any other day. As they drive to the event, their eyes meet. Oscar opens his mouth to say something — but we don’t know what he says.
Page 114–118 — At a tavern, all of Theresa’s employees have gathered to bid her farewell. Isabel and Grace sit next to each other. Oscar is next to Theresa. An employee speaks, praising Theresa, and wonders why Theresa decided to sell the company she worked so hard to build and reveals the answer she got from Theresa — that she was bored. As everyone laughs and cheers, Oscar brings out a cake and everyone celebrates Theresa’s birthday.
Theresa gives a speech holding back her emotions as she reveals how she married Oscar, an artist, when she had always thought she’d marry a banker. She repeats what Oscar said to her on the drive over — “is it us moving through the world, or the world running past us?”
Page 118–120 — Later that night, as they get ready for bed, Oscar talks to her about a school situation with their boys they must decide on after winter break. Theresa tells him that now, he must make all the decisions because she won’t be there. Suddenly filled with fear, she asks him where she’ll go after she dies. Oscar responds that he doesn’t know and Theresa breaks down, crying she doesn’t want to die. Oscar holds her tight and they sob together.
Page 120–121 — Oscar, Isabelle, Grace and the boys walk into a clearing with Theresa’s ashes and let them blow into the wind. They pass by a sculpture that Oscar has built in the woods as a memorial for her.
Page 121 — Isabel arrives at the orphanage and Preena shows her all the supplies they have now thanks to the donation.
Page 121–123 — Jai runs up to Isabel and hugs her. Jai tells her he saw a mother bird feed worms to her baby birds. Isabel asks him if wants to come with her to New York, but he says India is his home and that he’d miss his friends, and she can come visit him instead. Isabel lets him run off to play with his friends, realizing that his life is here, and not with her in New York.
Page 124 — Isabel looks in a mirror as if she’s seeing herself clearly for the first time
Page 124 — Jai runs after a ball on the soccer field as Isabel appears on the periphery of the field and watches and we rise up and see it all from a bird’s pov.
FADE TO BLACK
Writing Exercise: I encourage you to read the script, but short of that, if you’ve seen the movie, go through this scene-by-scene breakdown. What stands out to you about it from a structural standpoint?
Major kudos to Nikhil Kamkolkar or doing this week’s scene-by-scene breakdown.
To download a PDF of the breakdown for After the Wedding, click here.
I am looking for volunteers to read a script and provide a scene-by-scene breakdown for it to be used as part of our weekly series. What do you get out from it? Beyond your name being noted here, my personal thanks, and some creative juju sent your way, hopefully you will learn something about story structure and develop another skill set which is super helpful in learning and practicing the craft.
The latest volunteers [BOLD signifies they have sent me their breakdown]:
1917 / Alexis Howell-Jones
The Aeronauts / Andrew Lightfoot
After the Wedding / Nikhil Kamkolkar
Avengers: Endgame / Alexis Howell-Jones
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood / Karen Dantas
Booksmart / Andrew Semancik
The Farewell / Karen Dantas
Ford v Ferrari / Gary Myers
Honey Boy / Ericka Boston
Hustlers / Priya Gopal
Jo Jo Rabbit / Gareth Boucher
Joker / Rebecca Maslen Sapolsky
Knives Out / Brad Johnson
The Lighthouse / Halil Akgündüz
Little Women / Laura Bolton
Midsommar / Michael Duffey
Parasite / Olivia Ramirez
Toy Story 4 / Tara Yarlagadda
Uncut Gems / Ryan Canty
Us / Rose Banks
Waves / Savanah Mears
Thanks to the folks who have already sent me their breakdowns.
Now is YOUR chance to contribute to this most worthy cause and provide an additional resource for the online screenwriting community.
There are some excellent movie scripts available including Harriet, The Irishman, Just Mercy, Marriage Story, Rocketman, and more. Go here to download a PDF of your favorite 2019 movie script and join the cause by volunteering to do a scene-by-scene breakdown.
Thanks, all!
Even if you do not participate in the analysis, discussion, or write up a scene-by-scene breakdown, I strongly encourage you to read these scripts.
So seize this opportunity and join in the conversation!
I hope to see you in the RESPONSE section about this week’s script: After the Wedding.
