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Why We Breathe

Why We Breathe

2020

Director

D. Erik Parks

Runtime

90 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

A singer-songwriter and her daughter flee the bright lights of Music City, USA for small-town Nolensville, Tennessee. But despite the warm welcome of an elderly uncle, his church family, and the townsfolk, her violent past eventually comes to find her. Will she play the right notes this time?

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Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

5.1/10

Fair


Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Minimal

The film lacks LGBTQ+ characters or storylines. The narrative focus remains strictly on maternal and familial dynamics.

Gender Representation

Fair

A female singer-songwriter drives the plot through her resilience and agency. However, the story relies on traditional thriller tropes involving male-driven antagonistic forces.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Excellent

The film features a primarily Black cast, exploring Black mobility and professional success. It avoids common socioeconomic archetypes by centering Black characters in diverse settings.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Fair

The story utilizes traditional social structures like the church and tight-knit community. These institutions provide support but cannot fully shield the protagonist from her past.

Disability Representation

Minimal

There is no evidence of physical, neurodivergent, or mental health disabilities being used as central narrative elements.

Strengths

  • Centers a Black female protagonist with significant agency and professional prominence.
  • Challenges socioeconomic archetypes by exploring Black mobility and domesticity.
  • Provides a nuanced perspective on the intersection of urban and rural life.

Areas for Improvement

  • Relies on traditional thriller tropes regarding gendered vulnerability and male antagonists.
  • Adheres to conventional social and religious structures without exploring alternative narratives.
  • Lacks representation for LGBTQ+ identities and various disabilities.

AI Analysis

Why We Breathe succeeds in subverting traditional tropes by centering a Black female protagonist in a narrative of survival and agency. It provides a nuanced look at Black mobility, moving from an urban center to a Southern town. While the film offers meaningful racial representation, it remains tethered to conventional genre mechanics. The reliance on traditional religious communalism and gendered vulnerability in the thriller framework limits its progressive scope. Ultimately, the film is a character-driven drama that uses a psychological thriller lens to explore trauma and security through a diverse perspective.

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