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Close Enemies

Name: Close Enemies
Director: David Oelhoffen
Released: 2018
Duration: 111 min

Representation Score

2.6/10

Limited

2018

TV-MA

Director

David Oelhoffen

Runtime

111 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Close Enemies is a gritty, character-driven study that prioritizes the deconstruction of nationalistic and ideological identities. It succeeds by rejecting traditional wartime morality, opting instead for a complex, morally relative human experience. This approach challenges the stability of institutional authority through individual desperation. However, the film lacks contemporary markers of diversity. The focus remains heavily on a masculine-coded survival struggle, leaving little room for diverse gender expressions or queer narratives. The setting and plot are concentrated almost exclusively on the male experience of conflict. While the film lacks a multi-ethnic cast, it finds depth in its subversion of the 'us vs. them' mentality. By humanizing opposing combatants, it offers a progressive critique of the rigid, state-mandated morality often found in historical war dramas.

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Category Breakdown

Does Close Enemies have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses on a male-centric survival scenario and does not include any queer narratives or non-cisgender identities.

How does Close Enemies portray gender?

Limited

The story centers on the physical and psychological endurance of male combatants, following a traditional masculine framework without giving much importance to female characters.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Close Enemies?

Limited

Set during the 1944 German occupation, the film challenges the 'enemy' stereotype by highlighting the shared humanity between a French resistance fighter and a German soldier.

How does Close Enemies represent religion and culture?

Good

The story explores moral relativism and situational ethics, portraying military and nationalistic institutions as unreliable during wartime chaos.

Does Close Enemies include disability representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any significant portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Present on Screen

Challenges rigid nationalist categorizations by humanizing both sides of the conflict.
Provides a sophisticated critique of systemic structures and military authority.
Rejects binary 'good vs. evil' clichés in favor of complex moral relativism.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisgender gender expressions.
Provides minimal presence or importance for female characters within the narrative.
Does not feature diverse racial or multi-ethnic representation.

Official Synopsis

Driss and Manuel both grew up on the same council estate. An estate where the sense of belonging to your patch is much stronger than the sense of belonging to a country, a nation or a culture... Manuel has assimilated this belonging, and he has even benefited from it and built his life on it. Driss, meanwhile, has shunned it. They will both have to face up to the consequences of their decisions – because they will each have a price to pay…

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