Character Relationship Map: Fingernails

Characters

• Anna (played by Jessie Buckley) — protagonist

  An unemployed schoolteacher who becomes an instructor at the Love Institute. She secretly tests relationship exercises with her boyfriend Ryan, develops feelings for fellow instructor Amir, and strugg...

• Amir (played by Riz Ahmed) — protagonist

  An instructor at the Love Institute who works closely with Anna while guiding couples through relationship exercises. Although he says he and Natasha passed the test, he develops feelings for Anna, sl...

• Ryan (played by Jeremy Allen White) — supporting

  Anna's boyfriend, with whom she previously passed the fingernail test. He is initially unaware that she works at the Love Institute, becomes strained by her secrecy, and eventually agrees to take the...

• Duncan (played by Luke Wilson) — supporting

  The founder of the one-year-old Love Institute, where Anna and Amir work as instructors. He believes continued research can produce more positive test results and support relationships. When Anna asks...

• Natasha (played by Annie Murphy) — supporting

  Amir's girlfriend, who is presented as having passed the fingernail test with him. At a workplace party, she becomes confused when Anna mentions Amir's gluten intolerance, prompting Anna to question w...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Amir → Duncan (Professional Employee) — Both men are connected through the Institute's testing and relationship-training work.

  Amir works as an instructor at the Love Institute, the company founded by Duncan.

• Anna → Duncan (Professional Employee) — Anna works under Duncan while helping couples undergo relationship exercises.

  Anna gets a job as an instructor at the Love Institute, which was founded by Duncan.

• Anna → Amir (Romantic Love Interest) — Their emotional and physical connection becomes the central romantic conflict.

  Anna develops a rapport with Amir, discovers his feelings for her, kisses him, and sleeps with him.

• Amir → Natasha (Romantic Girlfriend) — Their relationship becomes part of Anna's uncertainty about Amir's feelings.

  Amir is described as having a girlfriend named Natasha, who attends the workplace party.

• Anna → Ryan (Romantic Boyfriend) — Their established relationship becomes strained when Anna hides her new job and questions their test result.

  Anna is introduced as Ryan's girlfriend, and they had previously passed the fingernail test together.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Anna → Natasha (Social Acquaintance) — Their brief social interaction exposes Anna's unusual familiarity with Amir.

  Anna interacts with Natasha at a workplace party and mentions Amir's gluten intolerance, which confuses Natasha.

Story Analysis

Anna confronts the limits of a love test when her feelings for Ryan and Amir contradict its supposedly definitive results.

Plot Progression

1. A New Science Of Love — The fingernail test reshapes romantic relationships through widespread negative results. Anna joins Duncan's Love Institute and begins working alongside Amir while hiding the job from Ryan.
2. Doubt Beneath The Exercises — Anna secretly examines her relationship with Ryan while growing closer to Amir. A failed client test and an awkward workplace party make her question the boundaries of their connection.
3. The Fifty Percent Answer — Amir comforts a client by sacrificing his own fingernail, and the client passes. Anna then secretly tests herself with Amir, receives a fifty-percent result, and repeats the test with Ryan.
4. Love Against The Result — Anna and Ryan pass their repeated test, but Anna confesses the contradictory result to Amir. Their mutual feelings lead to intimacy, while Amir remains committed to obeying the test.
5. Wounds And Uncertainty — Amir rejects a relationship with Anna because the test has left him confused. After Anna hurts herself in despair, Amir stops her and comforts her, ending the film with a shared smile.