Maps to the Stars

Maps to the Stars

Year: 2015

Runtime: 111 min

Language: English

Director: David Cronenberg

DramaComedy

Amidst the glamour of Hollywood, the Weiss family strives to maintain their wealth and status, but beneath the surface lies a world of secrets and desperation. Stafford, a popular self-help author, and Cristina, her daughter’s ambitious manager, work to elevate their son’s career. Simultaneously, Agatha, a mysterious woman with a hidden past, forms unexpected connections with a limo driver and Havana Segrand, an actress struggling with personal turmoil and professional decline. Their intertwined lives reveal the dark side of fame and the lengths people will go to protect their reputations.

Maps to the Stars (2015) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview

Get a spoiler-free look at Maps to the Stars (2015) with a clear plot overview that covers the setting, main characters, and story premise—without revealing key twists or the ending. Perfect for deciding if this film is your next watch.

In the glittering yet unforgiving world of Los Angeles, the Weiss family clings to a legacy of wealth and celebrity while the shadows behind their façade threaten to unravel everything they’ve built. Agatha returns to the city carrying physical and emotional scars that hint at a painful history, and she soon finds herself linked with Jerome, a limousine driver whose steady presence offers both a practical guide and a quiet confidante. The family’s patriarch, Dr. Stafford Weiss, a television psychologist, works to keep the family’s reputation intact even as his own professional life intertwines with the troubled actress Havana Segrand, whose fading stardom and personal demons echo the industry’s ruthless hunger for relevance.

At the heart of the story is Benjie, a former child star attempting a comeback, and his sister‑in‑law Cristina, an ambitious manager determined to sculpt a new path for their son’s career. Their efforts unfold against a backdrop of Hollywood’s relentless push for the next big role, while Havana grapples with the weight of her mother’s legacy and the relentless pressure to remain in the public eye. The characters navigate a landscape where personal relationships become strategic, and the line between genuine connection and calculated opportunity blurs beneath the surface of glitzy events and industry parties.

As these lives intersect, the film paints a portrait of fame that is both alluring and corrosive, where secrets linger like unfinished scripts and each character must decide how far they’re willing to go to protect the image they’ve cultivated. The tone oscillates between glossy glamour and a quiet, unsettling dread, inviting the audience to wonder what lies beneath the polished veneer of Hollywood’s dream machine. The story promises a meditation on identity, ambition, and the fragile constructs that hold a family together when the lights go out.

Last Updated: August 10, 2025 at 04:47

Mobile App Preview

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Mobile App

From blockbusters to hidden gems — dive into movie stories anytime, anywhere. Save your favorites, discover plots faster, and never miss a twist again.

Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private — always.

Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Movies about the dark side of Hollywood like Maps to the Stars

Stories that expose the corrosive, hidden side of fame and ambition.If you liked the unflinching critique of fame in Maps to the Stars, explore more movies like it that expose the dark underbelly of Hollywood. These films reveal the psychological toll, moral decay, and desperate acts hidden behind the glamour of celebrity life.

dystopiancynicalunsettlingdesperatesatiricaldecadentcorrosivedysfunctional

Narrative Summary

Narratives in this thread typically follow interconnected characters whose lives are consumed by the industry. The plots unravel through secrets, betrayals, and a gradual descent into madness or violence, often culminating in tragic outcomes that underscore the hollowness of the world they inhabit.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped together for their shared, cynical perspective on fame and fortune. They create a specific, oppressive mood by focusing on themes of mental illness, addiction, and familial dysfunction within a high-stakes, insular environment, delivering a consistently dark and heavy viewing experience.

Psychological family dramas with dark secrets like Maps to the Stars

Haunted families confront traumatic pasts and psychological collapse.For viewers who appreciated the heavy family secrets and psychological unraveling in Maps to the Stars, this collection features similar dramas. Discover movies about dysfunctional families haunted by trauma, mental illness, and supernatural visions, leading to bleak and tragic conclusions.

hauntingoppressivegothictragicunravelingclaustrophobicmelancholicdisturbing

Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves a central, troubled family unit whose members are haunted—literally or figuratively—by a repressed traumatic event. The story's progression is less about solving a mystery and more about the inevitable, destructive confrontation with this truth, which collapses the characters' fragile realities.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread share a specific blend of high-stakes family drama, psychological horror, and a gothic sensibility. They are united by a heavy, oppressive mood, complex character webs, and a focus on how buried trauma violently resurfaces, ensuring a consistently intense and bleak experience.

Unlock the Full Story of Maps to the Stars

Don't stop at just watching — explore Maps to the Stars in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Maps to the Stars is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Maps to the Stars Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Maps to the Stars, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Maps to the Stars Summary

Maps to the Stars Timeline

Track the full timeline of Maps to the Stars with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Maps to the Stars Timeline

Characters, Settings & Themes in Maps to the Stars

Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Maps to the Stars. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.

Characters, Settings & Themes in Maps to the Stars

More About Maps to the Stars

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Maps to the Stars: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Maps to the Stars