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Living Bad

Name: Living Bad
Director: João Canijo
Released: 2023
Duration: 124 min

Representation Score

6.2/10

Good

2023

Director

João Canijo

Runtime

124 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Living Bad is a deep exploration of domestic conflict that avoids the cliché of the stable, cohesive family unit. It presents the family as a site of negotiation and shifting power dynamics rather than a moral anchor. The film stands out by challenging traditional gender hierarchies, focusing on the psychological struggles of women seeking autonomy. However, its scope feels limited to a traditional European setting, lacking broader sociological representation.

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Category Breakdown

Does Living Bad have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film explores unique interpersonal relationships and love stories that go beyond traditional marriage. While specific identities are not clearly stated, the focus is on complex emotional connections.

How does Living Bad portray gender?

Good

Women play key roles in the film, driving the central power struggles and navigating manipulation and control. The narrative challenges traditional gender hierarchies by highlighting the psychological struggles of women seeking autonomy.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Living Bad?

Fair

Set on the northern coast of Portugal, the film seems to focus on a localized, likely homogeneous community. There is no indication of a multi-ethnic cast.

How does Living Bad represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The story questions the sanctity of the Western family structure. It portrays marriage and parenthood as complex, transactional, or burdensome arrangements rather than inherently positive anchors.

Does Living Bad include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no information about the inclusion of characters with visible or invisible disabilities.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional gender hierarchies by focusing on women's struggles for autonomy.
Questions the sanctity of the Western family through a lens of moral complexity.
Presents a nuanced, non-moralizing look at human ability to act and domestic dysfunction.

Limited or Absent

Lacks evidence of multi-ethnic or racially diverse casting.
Does not include characters with visible or invisible disabilities.
Specific LGBTQ+ identity markers are not clearly defined within the narrative.

Official Synopsis

A hotel by the northern shore of Portugal welcomes its guests over the weekend. A man is torn between being present for his wife and the space that his mother takes up between the two of them. A mother encourages her daughter’s marriage to enable her own love affair with her son-in-law. Another mother lives through her daughter, preventing her from making her own decisions. Three families at the end of their cycles of acceptance.

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