The Arrangement

The Arrangement unfolds during the 1960s, a period of rapid cultural change and evolving attitudes toward marriage, career, and therapy. The era's glossy consumerism and interest in psychoanalysis color Eddie's crisis and the characters' responses. The setting reflects a world where wealth and social status are tightly controlled through 'arrangements'.

The story moves between a gleaming Los Angeles advertising agency and a grand Victorian mansion on Long Island Sound, with important moments in New York City hospitals and offices. The juxtaposition of sunny, high-profile workspaces and a lush, insular home highlights the movie's tension between public wealth and private turmoil.

🧭 Identity

Eddie defines himself through the approved life of success and wealth, yet flashbacks reveal a fractured sense of self. The film probes how personal identity becomes entangled with what others expect or demand. Eddie's struggles expose the fragility of a life built on appearances rather than inner truth.

💔 Love & Infidelity

Love is treated as a volatile currency, with Eddie and Gwen's affair destabilizing the marriage and family dynamics. Florence's jealousy intensifies the conflict, turning affection into a weapon within the 'arrangements'. The story tracks how romantic entanglements collide with duty and ownership.

💼 Wealth & Arrangements

Wealth is the backbone of the family’s power and their 'arrangements'—marriage, property, and status. The legal and financial pressures throughout the film push Eddie toward surrender or collapse. The mansion, the law, and the medical system all serve to regulate and critique this wealth-driven world.

🧠 Psychology & Catharsis

Psychological insight—via Dr. Leibman and the hospital sequences—drives the narrative toward self-understanding or surrender. Therapy scenes juxtapose rational analysis with emotional chaos, highlighting the limits of clinical interpretation. The film frames mental struggle as both a personal crisis and a social performance.