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Christmas As Usual

Christmas As Usual

Representation Score

6.1/10

Good

2023

Director

Petter Holmsen

Runtime

89 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Christmas As Usual uses the romantic comedy genre to explore the complexities of multiculturalism. By focusing on the clash between Indian and Norwegian traditions, the film moves beyond simple holiday clichés to address the friction of integration. The film succeeds in disrupting the homogeneity of traditional Scandinavian holiday narratives. It centers an interracial engagement, providing a platform to examine how disparate cultural frameworks interact within a domestic space. However, the film remains limited in its scope of representation. The narrative structure appears focused on a traditional straight relationship, and there is no indication of disability representation or queer identities.

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Category Breakdown

Does Christmas As Usual have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film focuses on a relationship between Thea and Jashan that aligns with the assumption that everyone is straight. There are no clear examples of queer narratives or non-straight relationships within the story.

How does Christmas As Usual portray gender?

Fair

Thea plays a significant role in driving the story by integrating her partner into her family. This setup potentially challenges traditional, stable domestic roles often seen in holiday media.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Christmas As Usual?

Excellent

The film shows high intentionality by centering an interracial relationship. Placing a protagonist with Indian roots in a Scandinavian setting disrupts expectations of Western cultural uniformity.

How does Christmas As Usual represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative explores the tension between Indian heritage and Norwegian traditions. This moves the story away from a singular Western Christmas toward a more pluralistic view of tradition.

Does Christmas As Usual include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no evidence of characters with visible or invisible disabilities in the provided context.

Present on Screen

  • Strong focus on interracial and intercultural dynamics through the central relationship.
  • Challenges the cultural homogeneity often found in traditional Scandinavian holiday films.
  • Provides a platform for exploring diverse identities within a domestic setting.

Limited or Absent

  • Lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or queer narratives.
  • No evidence of characters with visible or invisible disabilities.
  • The central romance follows a traditional straight relationship structure.

Official Synopsis

To celebrate their engagement, Thea takes Jashan home — but his Indian roots and her family's Norwegian traditions clash in a chaotic Christmas.

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