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Keep Going

Name: Keep Going
Director: Joachim Lafosse
Released: 2018
Duration: 84 min

Representation Score

5.4/10

Fair

2018

Director

Joachim Lafosse

Runtime

84 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Keep Going is a character-driven drama that finds its strength in challenging traditional gender roles. By placing the emotional and intellectual labor of survival on Sybille, the film deconstructs the traditional patriarch. However, the film lacks depth in representing diverse identities. It remains rooted in a white, European perspective and adheres to a straight-centered structure, offering little representation for LGBTQ+ or diverse racial identities. While it explores psychological instability, it does so through a lens of realism rather than addressing specific disability or neurodivergent experiences.

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Category Breakdown

Does Keep Going have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film follows a conventional framework that assumes everyone is straight and cisgender. There are no non-cisgender gender identities or same-sex relationships among the main characters.

How does Keep Going portray gender?

Good

The narrative challenges traditional gender roles by focusing on the female protagonist's psychological burdens. It avoids the typical strong male leader archetype, instead showing men as emotionally unstable or absent.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Keep Going?

Limited

The cast is primarily white and European, reflecting a specific Belgian socioeconomic context. The Kyrgyzstan setting is used to isolate characters rather than explore diverse racial dynamics.

How does Keep Going represent religion and culture?

Fair

The film challenges conservative views by portraying the family as dysfunctional. It prioritizes secular, psychological realism over religious or patriotic themes.

Does Keep Going include disability representation?

Limited

Mental health issues are portrayed as part of psychological realism rather than disability advocacy. There are no characters with visible or neurodivergent disabilities given central roles.

Present on Screen

Subverts traditional gender hierarchies by centering on the female protagonist’s psychological journey.
Challenges conservative social ideals by deconstructing the traditional family unit.
Avoids 'inspiration porn' by treating mental health struggles as realistic character drivers.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of non-cisgender gender identities or same-sex relationships.
Does not utilize its international setting to explore racial or post-colonial themes.
Provides minimal visibility for neurodivergent or visible disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Sybille, a divorced mother, can't stand watching her teenage son Samuel slip into a violent and meaningless life. She is also struggling with her own demons, past and present. As a last resort, she takes Samuel on a long journey across Kyrgyzstan.

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