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The Beaver

Name: The Beaver
Director: Jodie Foster
Released: 2011
Duration: 91 min

Representation Score

7.5/10

Good

2011

PG-13

Director

Jodie Foster

Runtime

91 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The Beaver succeeds as a nuanced character study that challenges the cliché of the competent, stable patriarch. By centering a Black man in a high-level corporate role, it avoids traditional racial stereotypes and provides a fresh perspective on suburban psychological struggles. However, the film's scope is narrow regarding social identity, focusing solely on a straight-centered marital structure and lacking any LGBTQ+ representation. Ultimately, the film's strength lies in its unflinching look at mental health and the psychological erosion caused by capitalist achievement, offering a complex view of social non-conformity.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Beaver have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth identities.

How does The Beaver portray gender?

Fair

Female characters like Violet play significant roles in driving the story, showing ability to act and taking control of their lives during the male protagonist's breakdown.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Beaver?

Good

Jeffrey Wright's casting as a corporate CEO provides a fresh perspective by avoiding typical white-centric depictions of midlife crises.

How does The Beaver represent religion and culture?

Good

The film critiques Western capitalist structures and the pressures of corporate success, highlighting the dysfunction within the idealized Western family unit.

Does The Beaver include disability representation?

Good

The film explores severe depression and identity dissociation in a realistic manner, treating mental illness as a central, driving force rather than a mere plot device.

Present on Screen

Challenges the 'competent patriarch' stereotype by portraying masculinity as a source of dysfunction.
Features a fresh, non-stereotypical portrayal of a Black man in a position of high-level professional authority.
Offers a deep, unglamorous, and realistic exploration of severe depression and mental health struggles.

Limited or Absent

Does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth identities.
Focuses exclusively on a straight-centered marital structure.

Official Synopsis

Suffering from a severe case of depression, toy company CEO Walter Black begins using a beaver hand puppet to help him open up to his family. With his father seemingly going insane, adolescent son Porter pushes for his parents to get a divorce.

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