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Time Flies

Name: Time Flies
Director: Robert Breer
Released: 1997
Duration: 5 min

Representation Score

4.8/10

Fair

1997

Director

Robert Breer

Runtime

5 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Robert Breer’s *Time Flies* is a formalist experiment that prioritizes impressionistic meditation over character-driven drama. Since the film operates through a collage of personal photos and fragmentary drawings, traditional measures of representation like character roles are not applicable. The work disrupts standard cinematic expectations by rejecting conventional narrative arcs. It avoids reinforcing social hierarchies or archetypes by focusing on the materiality of memory rather than social roles. Ultimately, the film offers artistic autonomy through its refusal to adhere to standardized storytelling clichés. It presents a fragmented, subjective reality that favors individual perception over institutional frameworks.

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Category Breakdown

Does Time Flies have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film doesn't show specific LGBTQ characters or relationships. However, its focus on fragmented memories allows for interpretations that go beyond traditional family stories.

How does Time Flies portray gender?

Fair

The film avoids traditional gender roles by not defining characters in social roles. Instead, it focuses on everyday events that don't follow typical masculine or feminine stereotypes.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Time Flies?

Fair

The use of personal photos suggests a very personal perspective. While the racial makeup of the subjects isn't confirmed, the film's approach prioritizes unique imagery over a uniform standard.

How does Time Flies represent religion and culture?

Fair

The film highlights individual perception over institutional or religious frameworks. By including the director's hand, it critiques polished, consumerist presentations of reality through postmodern techniques.

Does Time Flies include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no characters with visible or invisible disabilities in the film.

Present on Screen

Rejects traditional storytelling clichés and rigid social hierarchies.
Avoids reinforcing gendered or masculine/feminine archetypes through its non-narrative structure.
Prioritizes unique, subjective reality over a homogeneous cinematic norm.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit character depictions or diverse interpersonal dynamics.
Does not provide a platform for multi-layered character studies or specific identity representation.
Provides no clear evidence of racial or disability-related themes.

Official Synopsis

Personal photos are interspersed with fragmentary drawings and flashes of colour, observed and/or remembered everyday events - all of which add to a general sense of reminiscence. Sometimes a hand appears (Breer’s own) on top of a photo, reminding us that the photo is but an object in the film, not the film itself.

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