Character Relationship Map: Posthumous

Characters

• McKenzie Grain (played by Brit Marling) — protagonist

  American journalist who investigates Liam Price's supposed death and writes a story about his life, jeopardizing his elaborate posthumous art scheme.

• Liam Price (played by Jack Huston) — protagonist

  Frustrated Berlin-based artist who fakes his own death after a homeless man is mistaken for him, then orchestrates a posthumous art scam to profit from his fabricated demise.

• Ben (played by Tom Schilling) — supporting
• Daniel S. Volpe (played by Lambert Wilson) — supporting
• Kaleb Moo (played by Nikolai Kinski) — supporting
• Erik Alder (played by Alexander Fehling) — supporting
• Landlord (played by Joost Siedhoff) — supporting
• Arman Rubell (played by Harald Siebler) — supporting
• Galerist (played by Anja Karmanski) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

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

• McKenzie Grain → Daniel S. Volpe (Professional Interview Subject) — McKenzie interviews Daniel about Liam
• Liam Price → Galerist (Professional Gallery Staff) — Liam interacts with this gallery staff member
• Liam Price → Landlord (Professional Landlord) — Liam has a professional relationship with his landlord
• Liam Price → Daniel S. Volpe (Professional Gallery Owner) — Daniel is a gallery owner who initially rejects Liam's work

Story Dynamics

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

• McKenzie Grain → Ben (Alliance Information Source) — McKenzie likely gets information about Liam from Ben
• Liam Price → Arman Rubell (Unknown) — Connection between Liam and Arman is unclear from provided information
• Liam Price → Erik Alder (Unknown) — Connection between Liam and Erik is unclear from provided information
• Liam Price → Kaleb Moo (Unknown) — Connection between Liam and Kaleb is unclear from provided information
• Liam Price → Ben (Social Friend) — Liam and Ben appear to be friends in Berlin
• Liam Price → McKenzie Grain (Narrative Subject Of Investigation) — Liam is the subject of McKenzie's journalistic investigation

Story Analysis

A frustrated artist exploits an accidental mistaken identity and his supposed death, but journalistic attention threatens his posthumous art scam.

Plot Progression

1. A Failed Artist's Collapse — Liam struggles with artistic failure and destroys his work outside a Berlin gallery. After passing out drunk, he loses his belongings to a homeless man.
2. The Accidental Death Hoax — The homeless man is found dead with Liam's drawings and is mistaken for Liam. Everyone consequently believes that Liam has killed himself.
3. Profit Behind the Grave — Liam discovers that his art is worth more after his supposed death. He responds by designing an elaborate plan to profit from the false identity.
4. A Story Threatens Everything — An American journalist chooses to write about Liam's life. Her story creates unwanted attention and places the fabricated demise in danger.