The Three Act Plot Structure Theory

This theory was created by Syd Field. Field explained that films are split into 3 sections:

Act One: Setup
Field said that the first ten minutes of the film are often the most important, since it is at that point that the audience decide whether or not they like the film. Field also believed that once the audience had made their mind up after 10 minutes, they wouldn't change their minds after that. So, the film makers have to make sure that in the first ten minutes the audience get a sense of who the main characters are and why the audience should care them, what the film's about and what to expect in style terms. During the rest of the first 30 minutes, the audience should be shown what sort of problem the main character will face.

PLOT POINT ONE: an important part of the plot

Act Two: Confrontation
This is the longest act of the film. In this act we see the main character facing lots of problems and trying (but failing) to overcome them. There is often a mid-point in the act, where the main character begins to turn things around. But at this point there's still quite a long way to go.

PLOT POINT TWO: the main character realises that the way they've been trying to resolve their problems is not working. This leads on to...

Act Three: Resolution
The main character finally takes control of the situation and will achieve a final victory.

Applying the theory to Fatal Attraction
Act One
The audience is introduced to the Gallagher family. We see that Dan and Beth Gallagher have a young daughter named Ellen. Dan and Beth are getting ready to go to a party. At this party, Dan meets a woman named Alex. When Beth goes away for the weekend, Dan bumps into Alex at his work, and then they go out to a restaurant. Then the affair begins since Dan and Alex go and have sex in Alex's apartment. During the course of the weekend, the affair progresses.

PLOT POINT ONE: Dan tries to break things off with Alex. Alex reacts badly to this and slits her wrists, Dan manages to save her.

Act Two
The audience begins to see that Alex isn't quite right mentally. Alex tells Dan she's pregnant, and continually phones him but he tries to get away from her. Then she does things like vandalise his car and boil the family's pet rabbit. Dan tries to inform the police, but they aren't very helpful. Dan tells Beth about the affair and Alex's pregnancy. Beth throws him out of the house. Ellen goes missing (Alex takes her out without the parents' permission) and Beth gets into a car accident. Dan goes to visit Beth in the hospital and he is forgiven for the affair.

PLOT POINT TWO: Dan goes over to Alex's apartment and tries to strangle her. He then comes to his senses and stops. Alex tries to stab him but he gets the knife away from her and then he walks out of the apartment.

Act Three
Beth comes home from the hospital. She's going to have a bath soon, so the bath is filling up with water (which becomes significant later on). Beth asks Dan to make her a cup of tea, so he goes downstairs to do so. Alex appears in the bathroom, talks to Beth for a while and then starts to attack her. Dan can't hear this happening since the water in the kettle's boiling loudly. Eventually, Dan hears Beth screaming so he runs upstairs to save her. He manages to pull Alex off Beth, then holds Alex's head under the water in the bath. She seems to have drowned, but after quite some time she suddenly comes up from the water. Beth then shoots Alex in the chest. The audience sees the police car outside the house, Dan shaking hands with the policeman he tried to report to about Alex, Dan and Beth hug and then the film ends.