Character Relationship Map: Shallow Grave

Characters

• Alex Law (played by Ewan McGregor) — protagonist

  Alex Law is a journalist who shares the Edinburgh flat with David Stephens and Juliet Miller. He helps conceal Hugo's death and spends the money, but later becomes alarmed by David's paranoia and Juli...

• Juliet Miller (played by Kerry Fox) — supporting

  Juliet Miller is a physician who shares the flat with David Stephens and Alex Law. She helps dispose of Hugo's remains in her hospital incinerator and spends the stolen money. She secretly plans to ab...

• Hugo (played by Keith Allen) — supporting

  Hugo is the mysterious man chosen by David Stephens, Juliet Miller, and Alex Law as their new flatmate. He is found dead in his room from an apparent drug overdose, with a suitcase full of money besid...

Story Dynamics

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

• Juliet Miller → Hugo (Social Flatmate) — Their housemate connection becomes the source of Juliet's involvement in the cover-up.

  Juliet Miller shares the flat where Hugo moves in, and she participates in concealing his death and disposing of his remains.

• Alex Law → Hugo (Social Flatmate) — Hugo becomes Alex's short-lived housemate before his death drives the central conspiracy.

  Alex Law lives in the Edinburgh flat that offers Hugo a room after the applicants' interviews.

• Alex Law → Juliet Miller (Social Friend) — They begin as close housemates whose friendship is undermined by fear, greed, and suspicion.

  Alex Law and Juliet Miller share a flat and participate together in interviewing applicants and deciding what to do after Hugo's death.

Story Analysis

A shared home becomes a deadly trap when greed and concealment turn friends against one another.

Plot Progression

1. A Room For The Unknown — Alex Law and Juliet Miller share a flat and cruelly interview prospective roommates. Hugo is selected and soon becomes part of the household.
2. The Price Of Silence — The trio discovers Hugo's body and a suitcase full of money. They choose concealment and divide the gruesome work of disposing of his remains.
3. Paranoia Under One Roof — Criminals searching for Hugo draw closer after a break-in below the flat. Spending, secrecy, and attic surveillance steadily destroy trust among the housemates.
4. Graves And False Stories — The criminal invasion ends in two more deaths, while the flatmates deny Hugo's existence to police. The discovery of bodies in the woods brings the investigation directly toward them.
5. The Empty Suitcase — Juliet presents an escape plan while secretly preparing to abandon the others. The final confrontation leaves Alex trapped, Juliet fleeing, and the hidden cash undiscovered.