Character Relationship Map: Julia

Characters

• Lillian Hellman (played by Jane Fonda) — protagonist

  A struggling writer who later becomes a celebrated playwright, Lillian is Julia's closest childhood friend and lifelong emotional counterpart. She travels to Europe searching for Julia, carries money...

• Julia (played by Vanessa Redgrave) — protagonist

  Lillian's childhood friend, Julia is a wealthy family's daughter who studies medicine at Oxford and Vienna before opposing Nazism. After suffering a serious injury and losing a leg, she recruits Lilli...

• Dashiell Hammett (played by Jason Robards) — supporting

  A famed author, Dashiell Hammett is Lillian's mentor and lover while she struggles to revise her play. He later remains Lillian's long-term partner in the United States, and she says they continue liv...

• Young Lillian (played by Susan Jones) — minor

  The younger version of Lillian Hellman, she forms a very close friendship with Young Julia during childhood and late adolescence in the United States. This early bond becomes the foundation for Lillia...

• Lillian's Friend in Sardy's (uncredited) (played by Ted Richert) — minor

Canonical Relationships

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

• Lillian Hellman → Dashiell Hammett (Romantic Lover) — Their romantic relationship overlaps with their creative partnership.

  The plot identifies Dashiell Hammett as Lillian's mentor and lover during the revision of her play.

Story Dynamics

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

• Young Lillian → Julia (Social Childhood Friend) — Their early friendship establishes the bond later remembered by Lillian.

  Young Lillian and Julia are shown enjoying childhood together as close friends.

• Lillian Hellman → Julia (Social Close Friend) — Their intimate friendship forms the emotional foundation of the film.

  The plot describes Lillian and Julia enjoying childhood together and maintaining a very close friendship in late adolescence.

• Lillian's Friend in Sardy's (uncredited) → Lillian Hellman (friend)

Story Analysis

A friendship becomes a moral bond as Lillian follows Julia's resistance struggle through violence, secrecy, loss, and memory.

Plot Progression

1. A Friendship Takes Root — Young Lillian and Julia grow up together and form an unusually close friendship. Their lives later diverge as Julia studies medicine and Lillian struggles with playwriting alongside Hammett.
2. Vienna Under Fire — Nazi violence reaches Julia's university in Vienna, where she is severely injured while protecting others. Lillian travels to Vienna, but the hospital denies that Julia is being treated there.
3. A Dangerous Recruitment — Lillian becomes a celebrated playwright and is invited to the USSR. Julia reappears through a covert mission, asking Lillian to carry money into Germany for the anti-Nazi cause.
4. The Berlin Revelation — Guided through inspections by Julia's colleagues, Lillian reaches Berlin and meets Julia in a cafe. Julia reveals her amputation, the purpose of the money, and the existence of her daughter.
5. Memory After Loss — Lillian hears that Julia has died and learns of her uncertain killing in Frankfurt. She fails to find Julia's daughter, returns to Hammett, and carries Julia's memory into old age.