Character Relationship Map: Splitsville

Characters

• Carey (played by Kyle Marvin) — protagonist

  Carey is Ashley's husband and Paul's best friend. After Ashley asks for a divorce, he turns to Paul and Julie, becomes involved with Julie, and struggles with jealousy in the couple's open-relationshi...

• Paul (played by Michael Angelo Covino) — protagonist

  Paul is Carey's best friend and Julie's husband. He introduces Carey to the couple's supposedly open relationship, then reacts violently after Carey sleeps with Julie. His business collapses after fin...

• Julie (played by Dakota Johnson) — supporting

  Julie is Paul's wife and Carey's close friend who becomes his lover. She defends Carey during a confrontation, later admits that she never pursued anyone else during her relationship with Paul, and re...

• Ashley (played by Adria Arjona) — supporting

  Ashley is Carey's wife, who confesses her infidelity and asks for a divorce after witnessing the fatal roadside crash. She agrees to an open relationship, takes several short-term lovers, and becomes...

• Matt (played by Nicholas Braun) — supporting

  Matt is Ashley's lover and performs as a mentalist at Russ's birthday party. His presence contributes to the tension surrounding Ashley and Carey, who is jealous of her partners but insists on remaini...

• Brent (played by O-T Fagbenle) — supporting

  Brent is the father of one of Russ's friends. At the carnival, he flirts with Julie, provoking Carey's jealousy and aggressive behavior. His brief interaction with Julie exposes Carey's deeper emotion...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Carey → Julie (Mutual Romantic Interest) — Their relationship shifts from a secret encounter into a mutual emotional attachment.

  Carey and Julie have sex, later reveal growing reciprocal feelings, and kiss after Julie tells Carey about Paul's collapse.

• Ashley → Matt (Romantic Lovers) — Matt is one of Ashley's short-term partners within the open relationship arrangement.

  Ashley arrives at the birthday party with her lover Matt, who performs as a mentalist.

• Paul → Julie (Family Spouses) — Their marriage is central to the film's exploration of insecurity and nonmonogamy.

  Paul and Julie are presented as a married couple living together at the beach house.

• Carey → Ashley (Family Spouses) — Their marriage becomes the foundation of the film's emotional and relational conflict.

  The plot identifies Carey and Ashley as a married couple driving together at the beginning.

Story Dynamics

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

• Paul → Ashley (Unknown Jealousy Pact) — They briefly share a retaliatory idea without becoming sexual partners.

  Paul and Ashley consider having sex with each other to make their former partners jealous, but decide not to proceed.

• Julie → Brent (Social Flirtation Target) — Their brief interaction exposes Carey's unresolved feelings for Julie.

  At the carnival, Brent flirts with Julie, provoking Carey to become jealous and aggressive.

• Carey → Matt (Social Acquaintances) — Carey's forced friendliness toward Ashley's partners masks jealousy and resentment.

  Carey casually befriends Ashley's lovers, and Matt later appears publicly as Ashley's lover at the birthday party.

• Carey → Paul (Social Best Friends) — Their close friendship is repeatedly tested by romantic betrayal and competition.

  After separating from Ashley, Carey flees to the beach house of his best friend Paul.

Story Analysis

A relationship comedy follows four adults who use openness, jealousy, and retaliation to avoid confronting emotional insecurity.

Plot Progression

1. A Marriage Breaks Open — A highway rescue exposes the emotional fragility of Carey's marriage to Ashley. Ashley's demand for divorce sends Carey to Paul's beach house, where a different model of marriage is revealed.
2. Beach House Entanglements — Carey becomes involved in the beach house's domestic and interpersonal conflicts. His sexual encounter with Julie transforms temporary consolation into a serious betrayal of Paul.
3. Jealousy Goes Public — Carey's jealousy of Brent reveals that he wants more from Julie than a casual encounter. Back home, Carey and Ashley establish an open relationship that only multiplies resentment.
4. Bankruptcy And Betrayal — Julie informs Carey about Paul's bankruptcy and admits that her feelings for Carey are mutual. Paul's legal troubles and Julie's angry confrontation push the relationships toward separation.
5. Party Fireworks — The birthday party brings former partners and new lovers together for deliberate emotional provocation. A fight is interrupted by a fire, leaving the adults in an unstable but continuing arrangement.