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The Medium

The Medium

2021

Not Rated

Director

Banjong Pisanthanakun

Runtime

131 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

A shaman's family learn that their goddess is supposedly controlling one of them. However, their lives take a frightening turn when they realise the goddess has nothing to do with the possession.

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Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

6.0/10

Good


Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Minimal

The film lacks explicit LGBTQ+ characters or non-cisnormative identities. The narrative focuses strictly on the hereditary transmission of shamanic power within a specific family lineage.

Gender Representation

Good

The story centers on female agency and matrilineal spiritual authority. By focusing on women like Nim and Mink, the film subverts traditional patriarchal structures and places women at the heart of the conflict.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Excellent

The film provides a deep immersion into Isan culture and Thai animistic traditions. It avoids exoticization by centering the authentic socioeconomic and spiritual realities of rural Thailand.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Excellent

The narrative critiques traditional institutions and the outsider gaze. It portrays the breakdown of the family unit and the failure of organized religion to provide protection against chaotic spiritual forces.

Disability Representation

Fair

Mink exhibits neurodivergent-coded behaviors and violent outbursts that drive the plot. However, these portrayals lean toward supernatural tropes rather than providing agency to a character with lived disability.

Strengths

  • Authentic immersion into Isan culture and Thai animistic traditions.
  • Strong subversion of patriarchal structures through matrilineal spiritual authority.
  • Effective critique of Western skepticism and modern rationalist institutions.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lack of explicit LGBTQ+ representation or non-cisnormative identities.
  • Reliance on neurodivergent-coded behaviors as a vessel for horror tropes.
  • Limited focus on characters with recognized, lived disabilities.

AI Analysis

The Medium succeeds as a culturally immersive horror film that centers a non-Western, matrilineal spiritual hierarchy. Its greatest strength lies in its authentic portrayal of Isan traditions and its effective deconstruction of Western rationalism through a mockumentary lens. However, the film struggles with representation in other areas. The lack of LGBTQ+ characters and the reliance on psychological instability as a horror trope for neurodivergent-coded characters limit its breadth. Ultimately, the film is a powerful exploration of cultural relativism, even if it uses certain character traits primarily as vessels for supernatural terror.

How are these scores produced? →

Featured in

  • Best Gender Representation in Film
  • Best Gender Representation of the 2020s
  • Best Racial & Ethnic Representation in Film
  • Best Racial & Ethnic Representation of the 2020s
  • Best Religious & Cultural Representation in Film

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