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Be My Master

Name: Be My Master
Director: Hideo Jojo
Released: 2018
Duration: 104 min

Representation Score

3.0/10

Limited

2018

Director

Hideo Jojo

Runtime

104 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Be My Master is a psychological drama that prioritizes the disruption of social and marital norms over traditional representation. It avoids standard moral archetypes, opting for a dark exploration of interpersonal ethics and power dynamics. The film successfully presents a multicultural social stratum and challenges the expectation of a stable husband. By replacing traditional stability with orchestrated dysfunction, it offers a postmodern perspective on character motivation. However, the film lacks significant representation of LGBTQ+ identities and disabilities. The narrative remains heavily focused on sexualized power dynamics, limiting the depth of its gender-based exploration.

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Category Breakdown

Does Be My Master have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses solely on heterosexual relationships and marriages, with no representation of non-straight or non-cisgender identities.

How does Be My Master portray gender?

Fair

The story challenges traditional male dominance by having the husband contribute to his wife's degradation. However, the female lead remains an object of rituals rather than an empowered individual.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Be My Master?

Fair

The cast includes characters from diverse East Asian backgrounds, creating a non-homogeneous social environment within a professional setting.

How does Be My Master represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative questions traditional family structures by depicting the nuclear family as dysfunctional. It explores moral ambiguity and the breakdown of conventional family ideals.

Does Be My Master include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no mention of characters with visible or invisible disabilities in the film's synopsis.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional male dominance by presenting a non-traditional husband figure.
Features a diverse cast within a professional social environment.
Explores moral ambiguity and the breakdown of traditional family ideals.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation for LGBTQ+ identities and non-cisgender genders.
women's ability to drive the story is limited as the female lead is primarily an object of rituals.
Provides no visibility or narrative focus regarding disabilities.

Official Synopsis

A married ad designer (Meguro) is having an affair with a married woman (Ming). When an ad agency head visits Meguro, it's revealed that he's Ming's husband (Shanwei). Shanwei warns Meguro to not only continue the affair but also record (for Shanwei) and "mentor" Ming in a series of escalating sexual domination/humiliation rituals. If Meguro refuses, Shanwei will disclose the affair to everyone, including Meguro's wife.

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