Save the Cat rankings

WHAT DREAMS MAY COME script analysis

WHAT DREAMS MAY COME script - Save the Cat beat sheet analysis

After pediatrician Chris Nielsen dies and enters an ethereal afterlife, he navigates a vividly imagined world to rescue his wife Annie from her own despair. Along the way, he grapples with the nature of consciousness, love, and loss, guided by odd mentors and confronted by harrowing obstacles. Ultimately, his journey tests the enduring bond between him and Annie.

82 Save the Cat fit score 72% analysis confidence / 37 parsed scenes

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1

Opening Image

Scene 1 / Page 1 / 1% target

73%

Introduces Chris in his everyday life as a caring doctor interacting with a child.

Hey, Stacey. I'm Dr. Nielsen.
2

Theme Stated

Scene 8 / 5% target

75%

Albert tells Chris there’s more to consciousness than the brain, hinting at the film’s meditation on life after death.

Your brain is meat. It rots. And disappears. Did you really think that's all there was to you?
3

Set-Up

Scenes 2-4 / 10% target

70%

Shows Chris’s loving relationship with Annie and his ordinary struggles, establishing stakes.

4

Catalyst

Scene 5 / 12% target

77%

Chris arrives in a surreal lakeside setting and realizes he’s dead.

5

Debate

Scenes 6-11 / 20% target

74%

Chris questions the rules and reality of this afterlife world, debating whether he can reach Annie.

6

Break into Two

Scene 15 / 25% target

71%

Chris reaches the mountain top vision of Annie’s tree and accepts his quest beyond Summerland.

I ruined her tree. I don't deserve to live.
7

B Story

Scene 17 / 30% target

76%

Introduces Leona (Marie) who becomes Chris’s guide and emotional counterpart.

So, you be Dorothy. And I'll be Glenda, the Witch of the North.
8

Fun and Games

Scenes 18-23 / 40% target

68%

Chris explores Summerland’s wonders, learns from flashbacks and grows closer to Leona.

9

Midpoint

Scene 22 / 50% target

79%

Chris realizes Leona is actually his daughter Marie, shifting personal stakes.

I think I waited. For my partner.
10

Bad Guys Close In

Scenes 27-30 / 65% target

74%

The trio faces dark obstacles—Tracker’s warning, dangerous river, ship graveyard.

11

All Is Lost

Scene 26 / 75% target

78%

Albert reveals Annie killed herself, implying Chris can never reach her.

Chris, Annie’s dead. She... she killed herself.
12

Dark Night of the Soul

Scenes 31-32 / 80% target

72%

Chris arrives at Annie’s personal hell and confronts her rejection, feeling hopeless.

13

Break into Three

Scene 33 / 85% target

69%

Flashback of divorce talk reignites Chris’s determination to reunite and heal with Annie.

This is an air ticket. One-way. For one person. For me.
14

Finale

Scenes 31-37 / 95% target

71%

Chris persists through Annie’s denial, reaching her at her lowest point and giving her hope.

15

Final Image

Scene 37 / 99% target

75%

Chris finds Annie sobbing and gently speaks to her, implying the possibility of healing.