Life is Beautiful poster

Life is Beautiful

1997116 minutesPG-13
7.1
Arcplot Score
⭐ Excellent
Unverified
⭐ 8.6IMDb
🍅 80%Rotten Tomatoes
Ⓜ️ 58/100Metacritic
🎬 8.4TMDb
📊 8.5Popularity
🏆Won 3 Oscars. 72 wins & 52 nominations total
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Directed by: Roberto Benigni
In 1930s Italy, a carefree Jewish waiter named Guido starts a fairy tale life by courting and marrying a lovely woman from a nearby city. Guido and his wife have a son and live happily together until the occupation of Italy by German forces. In an attempt to hold his family together and help his son survive the horrors of a Jewish Concentration Camp, Guido imagines that the Holocaust is a game and that the grand prize for winning is a tank.

Box Office

Budget:$20.0M
Revenue:$230.1M
Profit:$210.1M

Arcplot Score Breakdown

Beat Timing Precision6.2/10
Emotional Arc Impact10/10
Thematic Consistency5/10
Overall Score7.1/10

Beat Sheet

15 plot points

Life is Beautiful Arcplot
1
Opening Image
1 min
2
Theme Stated
5 min
3
Set-Up
15 min
4
Catalyst
25 min
5
Debate
35 min
6
Break Into Two
45 min
7
B Story
55 min
8
Fun and Games
65 min
9
Midpoint
75 min
10
Bad Guys Close In
85 min
11
All Is Lost
95 min
12
Dark Night of the Soul
100 min
13
Break Into Three
105 min
14
Finale
110 min
15
Final Image
116 min

Emotional Arc

+100-10

Plot Points

#1

Opening Image

1 min

Guido as a young man, energetic, charming, and imaginative. Introduces playful, romantic world.

#2

Theme Stated

5 min

Theme of hope, love, and resilience despite adversity established.

#3

Set-Up

15 min

Guido arrives in town, meets Dora, begins pursuit of love. Humor and charm dominate.

#4

Catalyst

25 min

Guido and Dora’s relationship blossoms. Stakes of romance and family introduced.

#5

Debate

35 min

Guido must navigate societal norms, career ambitions, and obstacles to win Dora’s heart.

#6

Break Into Two

45 min

Guido marries Dora. Joyful life begins. Transition to family and responsibility.

#7

B Story

55 min

Guido and Dora’s family life established. Introduction of son Giosuè. Love and humor deepen emotional stakes.

#8

Fun and Games

65 min

Family life in playful, loving manner. Guido entertains and protects Giosuè with humor.

#9

Midpoint

75 min

Family deported to concentration camp. Sudden tonal shift to danger and oppression.

#10

Bad Guys Close In

85 min

Guido must conceal truth from son. Tension escalates. Nazi officers and camp horrors dominate.

#11

All Is Lost

95 min

Guido captured and executed. Apparent hopelessness and ultimate sacrifice.

#12

Dark Night of the Soul

100 min

Giosuè fears loss and danger. Emotional peak of tension and grief.

#13

Break Into Three

105 min

Giosuè guided by Guido’s prior lessons, maintains hope. Courage and innocence preserved.

#14

Finale

110 min

Allies liberate camp. Giosuè reunited with Dora. Emotional resolution and survival.

#15

Final Image

116 min

Giosuè with Dora, reflecting on father’s love and sacrifice. Hope, resilience, and human spirit endure.