Character Relationship Map: Stillwater

Characters

• Bill Baker (played by Matt Damon) — protagonist

  A laid-off oil roughneck from Oklahoma who travels to France to visit his daughter Allison in prison. He attempts to uncover the truth behind her conviction by investigating leads, employing a private...

• Virginie (played by Camille Cottin) — protagonist

  A single mother living in Marseille who assists Bill with translations and his investigation. She helps identify the suspect Akim and develops a romantic relationship with Bill. After Bill's reckless...

• Allison (played by Abigail Breslin) — supporting

  Bill's daughter, serving a nine-year sentence in France for the murder of her roommate Lina. Initially distant and skeptical of her father's efforts, she gradually reconnects with him during a supervi...

• Maya (played by Lilou Siauvaud) — supporting

  Virginie's young daughter. Bill bonds with her and takes her to a football match where he spots the suspect. She discovers Bill holding Akim captive in the basement but keeps his secret. She becomes e...

• Sharon (played by Deanna Dunagan) — supporting

  Bill's late wife's mother. Bill meets with her in Oklahoma before departing for France to visit his daughter. She appears briefly as part of his family network.

• Souad (played by Nassiriat Mohamed) — minor
• Leparq (played by Anne Le Ny) — supporting

  Allison's court-appointed defense lawyer in France. He informs Bill that hearsay evidence will not be accepted by judges. Bill lies to his daughter about Leparq's commitment, but the lawyer later noti...

• Dirosa (played by Moussa Maaskri) — supporting

  A retired police officer turned private investigator who originally worked on Allison's case. He advises Bill that DNA evidence is crucial for exoneration. He conducts the hair DNA test on Akim and la...

• Patrick (played by William Nadylam) — minor
• Akim (played by Idir Azougli) — supporting

  A resident of the Marseille slums initially identified as Lina's killer. He is abducted and held captive by Bill for a DNA test. He confesses to being hired by Allison to deal with Lina, though he cla...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Patrick → Allison (Professional Former Professor) — Patrick is part of the chain through which Allison learns about the alleged killer.

  Leparq says Allison heard about a possible killer from her former professor, Patrick Okonedo.

• Leparq → Bill Baker (Professional Legal Informant) — Leparq communicates the formal legal developments to Bill.

  Leparq explains Allison's evidentiary problem to Bill and later informs him that Dirosa's new evidence will reopen the case.

• Leparq → Allison (Professional Defense Lawyer) — Leparq represents Allison and explains the limits of her legal options.

  Leparq is Allison's defense lawyer and explains that hearsay evidence will not interest a judge.

• Dirosa → Allison (Professional Case Investigator) — Dirosa's professional work ultimately contributes to Allison's exoneration.

  Dirosa originally worked on Allison's case and later comes forward with new evidence that allows it to be reopened.

• Dirosa → Akim (Professional DNA Subject) — Akim becomes the subject of Dirosa's forensic investigation.

  Dirosa conducts a hair DNA test comparing Akim's hair with DNA from the crime scene.

• Dirosa → Bill Baker (Professional Investigative Adviser) — Dirosa provides Bill with the legal and evidentiary standard for the case.

  Dirosa, a retired police officer and private investigator, warns Bill that only DNA evidence can exonerate Allison.

• Akim → Allison (Professional Hired Agent) — Akim claims he was engaged by Allison to remove Lina from their apartment.

  Akim tells Bill that Allison hired him and paid him with a gold necklace bearing the word "Stillwater."

• Bill Baker → Akim (Power Captor) — Bill exercises direct physical control over Akim while seeking evidence.

  Bill abducts Akim and keeps him captive in the basement of the apartment building.

Story Dynamics

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

• Virginie → Dirosa (Conflict Questioned Witness) — Their interaction places Virginie under investigative pressure.

  Dirosa poses as a building inspector and questions Virginie about the basement, arousing her suspicions.

• Maya → Akim (Narrative Witness) — Maya becomes a direct witness to Bill's hidden crime.

  Maya discovers that Bill is keeping Akim prisoner in the basement.

• Virginie → Akim (Alliance Liberator) — Virginie secretly ends Akim's captivity to protect Maya and herself.

  Virginie does not admit it to the police, but the plot states that she freed Akim from the basement.

• Virginie → Souad (Alliance Meeting Facilitator) — Virginie enables Bill's contact with an important witness.

  Bill enlists Virginie's help to meet Souad and her friend at a Quick restaurant.

• Souad → Bill Baker (Narrative Informant) — Souad supplies Bill with the first direct identification of Akim.

  Bill meets Souad at a Quick restaurant, where she identifies Akim as Lina's killer.

• Patrick → Bill Baker (Narrative Source) — Patrick provides a lead that advances Bill's search for evidence.

  Patrick gives Bill the phone number of Souad, a student who claims to know Lina's killer.

• Bill Baker → Maya (Social Caregiver Bond) — Bill develops a strong affectionate bond with Virginie's daughter.

  Bill helps Virginie care for Maya, surprises her with football tickets, and hugs her goodbye when he is forced to leave.

Story Analysis

A father's pursuit of his daughter's exoneration becomes a moral reckoning about truth, guilt, and the damage caused by desperate love.

Plot Progression

1. A Father's Uncertain Mission — Bill leaves Oklahoma to visit Allison in a French prison. Her letter and the lawyer's warning push him toward investigating the claim of another killer.
2. Following the Marseille Lead — Virginie translates Allison's desperate letter and helps Bill pursue leads from Patrick and Souad. Social media photographs and Allison's recognition identify Akim.
3. Trust Begins to Fracture — Bill is beaten while searching for Akim and admits that he lied about legal help. Months later, he builds a domestic life with Virginie and Maya while continuing to support Allison.
4. The Captive in the Basement — Bill spots Akim at a football match and abducts him for DNA testing. Maya discovers the captivity, and Akim reveals Allison's connection to the Stillwater necklace.
5. Evidence and Moral Reckoning — Dirosa investigates the basement, Akim disappears, and Virginie rejects Bill's dangerous methods. New evidence reopens Allison's case, but her final confession changes the meaning of Bill's victory.