When is it best to ditch the Three-Act Structure?

Hey everyone,

I'm Nina, a screenwriter, and I've been wrestling with a script that feels like it's fighting the traditional three-act structure. It's a character-driven drama about an aging musician's slow decline, and while I've tried to force it into neat acts with a clear inciting incident and climax, it just feels... inorganic. Like I'm imposing a shape rather than discovering one.

I've dabbled with more episodic structures or even something resembling a musical composition, but I keep second-guessing myself, thinking I should stick to the standard. I'm wondering if there are specific story types or conditions where deliberately breaking from the three-act framework actually serves the narrative better. When do you all feel it's truly justified to go off-piste?