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Make Room for Tomorrow

Name: Make Room for Tomorrow
Director: Peter Kassovitz
Released: 1979
Duration: 105 min

Representation Score

5.5/10

Fair

1979

Director

Peter Kassovitz

Runtime

105 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film offers a culturally specific perspective, focusing on the Jewish experience and the intersection of French and Israeli identities. This creates a rich, multi-generational narrative that avoids homogeneous storytelling. However, the exploration of identity remains somewhat limited. LGBTQ+ themes are subtle and not central, and gender dynamics, while complex, do not fundamentally challenge traditional power structures. Ultimately, the work presents a nuanced study of heritage and aging through the lens of historical and ethnic struggle.

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Category Breakdown

Does Make Room for Tomorrow have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film explores budding sexuality through Mathias, but these themes serve as developmental milestones rather than central explorations of LGBTQ+ identity or critiques of heteronormativity.

How does Make Room for Tomorrow portray gender?

Fair

Peggy navigates marital difficulties and domestic instability, adding complexity to the narrative. However, the story does not explicitly challenge traditional gender hierarchies.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Make Room for Tomorrow?

Good

The film focuses on the twentieth-century struggles of the Jews and the connections between France and Israel, moving beyond standard Anglo-centric storytelling.

How does Make Room for Tomorrow represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative uses historical struggle and fragmented heritage to frame the family’s history, avoiding idealized views of Western stability and presenting a more complex, moral relativism.

Does Make Room for Tomorrow include disability representation?

Minimal

The film does not mention any visible or invisible disabilities, nor does it include any representation of disability.

Present on Screen

Focuses on the specific cultural context of Jewish history and identity.
Connects the narrative between Paris and Israel, enriching the story.
Explores the complexities of generational and familial dynamics.

Limited or Absent

Does not provide explicit or central LGBTQ+ identity-driven narratives.
Does not significantly challenge traditional gender hierarchies.
Lacks representation of disability among the characters.

Official Synopsis

Four generations of Oppenheim men gather in Paris for Isaac's 90th birthday. He's "Romeo," still a lady's man, waiting to hear from a woman to whom he has proposed, threatening suicide if she says no. They gather at Isaac's grandson's, Ben, who lives with Peggy and their son Mathias who's 10. Joining them, from Israel, is Isaac's son Elie. Against a backdrop of Elie's attempts to call his ex-wife, Ben and Peggy's marital difficulties, Mathias's budding sexuality, everyone's love of chess and practical jokes, Ben's house (shifting dangerously on its foundation), and the twentieth-century struggles of the Jews, the film explores their relationships and Isaac's aging.

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