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Breathing In

Name: Breathing In
Director: Jaco Bouwer
Released: 2023
Duration: 105 min

Representation Score

5.8/10

Fair

2023

Director

Jaco Bouwer

Runtime

105 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Breathing In uses a historical South African setting to challenge traditional power structures. By focusing on a woman and her daughter, the film shifts the narrative away from a male-dominated military perspective to one of female autonomy and survival. The film avoids typical hero clichés, presenting a more complex and potentially predatory domestic reality. This approach challenges conventional morality and the stability of colonial institutions. While the film provides nuanced gender dynamics, it falls short in explicitly representing LGBTQ+ identities and disability, making it a moderately progressive work.

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Category Breakdown

Does Breathing In have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film does not include any explicit LGBTQ+ characters or representations of non-straight identities. It focuses on a traditional family unit consisting of a mother and her daughter.

How does Breathing In portray gender?

Good

The story challenges traditional gender roles by emphasizing the central role of women in a survival situation. Women are shown taking charge and influencing the male protagonist.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Breathing In?

Fair

Set during the Second Anglo-Boer War, the film explores colonial tensions. The historical context highlights the complexity of identity within a conflict-ridden environment.

How does Breathing In represent religion and culture?

Good

The setting questions the stability of colonial and military systems. The narrative likely examines how individuals respond to a failing system through situational ethics and survivalist behavior.

Does Breathing In include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no mention of characters with visible or invisible disabilities in the provided narrative details.

Present on Screen

Challenges the traditional male protector cliché by placing women as the main agents of survival.
Uses a historical colonial setting to critique established political and military hierarchies.
Emphasizes situational ethics and female autonomy over traditional social structures.

Limited or Absent

Does not include any explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight characters.
Does not feature any characters with visible or invisible disabilities.
The specific racial composition of the central household is not specified.

Official Synopsis

1901, South Africa. As the Second Anglo-Boer War rages on, a wounded General seeks refuge in the small home of a woman and her young daughter. As the hurt man settles in, he begins noticing that something is off about the two women, particularly the daughter, and before long, he’ll learn the real reason for why they’ve invited him and for how they’ve survived on their own for so long.

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