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The Twelve Months

Name: The Twelve Months
Director: Ivan Ivanov-Vano
Released: 1956
Duration: 55 min

Representation Score

1.1/10

Minimal

1956

Director

Ivan Ivanov-Vano

Runtime

55 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The Twelve Months is a traditionalist folk fable that emphasizes moral clarity and cultural homogeneity. It relies heavily on established archetypes that reinforce conventional social and gender hierarchies rather than challenging them. While the film serves as a significant cultural artifact of Soviet animation, it lacks progressive narrative strategies. The storytelling is built on a foundation of moral binaries and folkloric clichés. Ultimately, the film's focus on heritage and didactic storytelling results in a lack of diverse representation or modern social diversity.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Twelve Months have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or non-straight identities. Relationships are confined to traditional family structures and symbolic seasonal figures.

How does The Twelve Months portray gender?

Limited

Characters adhere to mid-century folkloric archetypes, featuring a virtuous maiden and a wicked stepmother. The story upholds traditional gender roles without challenging the status quo of domestic hierarchies.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Twelve Months?

Fair

The cast is uniform, reflecting the specific Slavic folklore and cultural context of the time. It serves as a culturally specific piece of heritage storytelling.

How does The Twelve Months represent religion and culture?

Limited

The story operates through moral absolutes, contrasting greed with altruism. It reinforces traditional social order through a classic fable structure.

Does The Twelve Months include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no prominent depictions of physical or neurodivergent disabilities. Characters are portrayed through the lens of archetypal perfection or villainy.

Present on Screen

Provides a rich, culturally specific window into Slavic folklore and aesthetic traditions.
Offers clear, didactic storytelling through a classic fable structure.

Limited or Absent

Lacks subversion of traditional gender roles and patriarchal domestic hierarchies.
Features a homogeneous cast with no representation of diverse racial or ethnic identities.
Does not include LGBTQ+ characters or non-straight identities.

Official Synopsis

A poor girl was given an impossible task by her stepmother: to gather snowdrops in a winter forest. Suddenly she stumbled across twelve brothers who happened to be the twelve months.

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