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Good and Evil

Name: Good and Evil
Director: Jørgen Leth
Released: 1975
Duration: 80 min

Representation Score

4.5/10

Fair

1975

Director

Jørgen Leth

Runtime

80 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Jørgen Leth’s documentary focuses on formalist deconstruction, prioritizing aesthetic formalism and absurdist tableaux over traditional narrative. This approach allows it to challenge social expectations without relying on conventional character arcs. However, the film remains localized, with a primary focus on Danish culture and a lack of significant racial and ethnic diversity, resulting in a moderate diversity score.

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Category Breakdown

Does Good and Evil have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film includes a circus queen who embodies a queer-coded presence, disrupting the traditional domestic norms of the 1970s. It uses a series of vignettes rather than a character-driven storyline.

How does Good and Evil portray gender?

Fair

Gender is portrayed through performance and absurdity rather than rigid social roles. Ritualistic tableaux strip away traditional patriarchal hierarchies, focusing instead on the fluidity of gender expression.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Good and Evil?

Limited

The cast seems to consist mainly of local Danish performers, with no significant evidence of racial or ethnic diversity to challenge the era's demographic norms.

How does Good and Evil represent religion and culture?

Good

The film promotes moral relativism by showing good and evil through everyday actions. This secular, postmodern approach questions the stability of traditional social and religious institutions.

Does Good and Evil include disability representation?

Minimal

The film consists of observational vignettes. There is no specific evidence of physical or neurodivergent disabilities being portrayed.

Present on Screen

Uses an absurdist, postmodern framework to subvert traditional narrative authority.
Includes a circus queen to disrupt social homogeneity.
Presents gender through ritualistic performance, challenging patriarchal hierarchies.

Limited or Absent

Does not include significant racial or ethnic diversity in the cast.
Does not provide visible representation of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.
Focuses heavily on Danish performers and cultural contexts.

Official Synopsis

Jørgen Leth can squeeze poetry from a stone and wit from dust, and he can find love where the milk of human kindness runs dry. In a series of tableaux of Life in Denmark, he carries absurdism to a happy extreme. To act out his minuscule non-dramas, he uses a motley crew of professional actors like Ghita Nørby and Claus Nissen, writer Dan Turéll plus a snake charmer, a bicycle racer and a circus queen.

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