You are here:

Runner

Name: Runner
Director: Marian Mathias
Released: 2023
Duration: 76 min

Representation Score

4.3/10

Fair

2023

Director

Marian Mathias

Runtime

76 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Runner is a character-driven drama that finds strength in subverting gendered expectations. By centering Haas's influence and Will's emotional vulnerability, the film moves away from rigid archetypes to explore personal growth through grief. However, the film's impact is limited by a lack of visible intersectionality. The rural Midwest setting and the absence of explicit LGBTQ+ or multi-ethnic identifiers result in a narrow demographic scope. Ultimately, the film succeeds as a study of individual identity, even if it remains within a relatively homogenous social framework.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Runner have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film explores a friendship that challenges traditional views of love and loss. There is no explicit confirmation of queer identities.

How does Runner portray gender?

Fair

Haas is a proactive protagonist who navigates a family crisis with significant influence. Will is portrayed as a vulnerable, creative soul, subverting typical stoic masculine archetypes.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Runner?

Limited

Set in the rural Midwest, the narrative lacks a diverse cast. The setting suggests a homogeneous demographic without visible efforts to include various backgrounds.

How does Runner represent religion and culture?

Fair

The story deconstructs traditional family structures after the death of a patriarchal figure. It prioritizes individual emotional truth and moral relativism over domestic stability.

Does Runner include disability representation?

Minimal

The narrative does not mention characters dealing with physical, neurodivergent, or mental health conditions.

Present on Screen

Subverts traditional gender roles by centering women's ability to drive the story and men's emotional vulnerability.
Challenges conventional romantic clichés through a complex exploration of friendship and loss.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or relationships outside of the assumption that everyone is straight.
Shows a lack of racial and ethnic diversity within its rural setting.

Official Synopsis

Haas is an 18-year-old girl who was raised by her father in the rural Midwest. When her father suddenly dies, she must carry out his wish to be buried in the town where he was born. There, she meets a young man named Will, a lonely, creative soul who is working to support his family back home. The two of them form a friendship that challenges both of their understandings of love and loss.

How are these scores produced? →