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We

Name: We
Director: Alice Diop
Released: 2022
Duration: 115 min

Representation Score

7.7/10

Good

2022

Director

Alice Diop

Runtime

115 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Alice Diop’s documentary is a powerful exploration of social realism that challenges traditional French cinema. By focusing on the inhabitants of the RER B train line, the film provides a deep, actively leading look at racial and ethnic diversity, particularly highlighting Black and North African identities. While the film excels in showcasing multi-layered visibility, it narrows its demographic focus to male subjects, resulting in a lack of women's ability to drive the story and an absence of LGBTQ+ identities or disability-focused storytelling. Ultimately, the work serves as a systemic critique of socioeconomic exclusion. It transforms a transit route into a platform for examining how institutional failures impact those living on society’s periphery.

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Category Breakdown

Does We have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses on the Seine-Saint-Denis suburbs without including explicit LGBTQ+ narratives or characters with diverse gender identities. It highlights a specific demographic of young men.

How does We portray gender?

Fair

This documentary emphasizes male perspectives and social dynamics within the banlieue. It lacks women's ability to drive the story, reflecting the specific community being observed.

How racially and ethnically diverse is We?

Excellent

Diop effectively centers Black and North African identities. Using the RER B line, the film offers a actively leading portrayal of populations often sidelined in French media.

How does We represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The documentary critiques Western socioeconomic structures systemically. It portrays the isolation of public housing estates through a lens of systemic exclusion and post-colonial frameworks.

Does We include disability representation?

Fair

The film does not focus on visible or invisible disabilities. Its scope remains primarily socio-political and racial, without exploring neurodivergence or physical disabilities.

Present on Screen

Exceptional centering of Black and North African identities.
Authentic, actively leading portrayal of residents in the housing projects.
Profound systemic critique of capitalist and state institutional failures.

Limited or Absent

Significant lack of women's ability to drive the story and gender diversity.
Absence of LGBTQ+ narratives or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth identities.
No explicit focus on neurodivergence or physical disabilities.

Official Synopsis

An urban train link, the RER B, crosses Paris and its outskirts from north to south. A journey within indistinct spaces known as inner cities and suburbs. Several portraits, all individual pieces that form a whole. We.

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