Character Relationship Map: The Starfish

Characters

• The Woman (played by Kiki of Montparnasse) — protagonist

  The Woman is the central female figure in the film. She alters her stocking, undresses and retires to the upper bedroom, later appears reclining and brandishing a knife, and is shown in a mirror befor...

• The Man (played by André de la Rivière) — supporting

  The Man is the principal male figure accompanying The Woman. He walks with her, leaves after bidding her farewell in the bedroom, buys and examines a starfish in a jar, and later returns upstairs whil...

Canonical Relationships

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

• The Man → The Woman (Romantic Lovers) — Their affair is introduced through intimate scenes and ends by the conclusion of the film.

  The plot describes their bedroom encounter and farewell, then says the film reveals the short end to the characters' love triangle and that the affair...

Story Analysis

A fragmented series of intimate images, objects, and captions follows an affair toward its ending and a shattered mirror image.

Plot Progression

1. Intimate Farewell — The couple walks together before the film turns to The Woman altering her stocking. In the upper bedroom, she undresses and The Man bids her farewell before leaving the house.
2. The Starfish and the Streets — A street image presents a newspaper seller whom the plot identifies as The Man in drag. The Man buys a starfish in a jar, while windblown papers and brief travel and harbor images interrupt the sequen...
3. Objects in Motion — The film shifts through rotating objects and still lifes, repeatedly including the starfish. The Man later climbs toward the upper bedroom and leaves the jar at the foot of the staircase.
4. The Affair's End — The Woman appears with a large knife in an image superimposed with the starfish, then is shown reclining in the bedroom. The film states that the love triangle ends, and concludes with her mirror imag...