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Where Hands Touch

Where Hands Touch

2018

PG-13

Director

Amma Asante

Runtime

122 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

Germany, 1944. Leyna, the 15-year old daughter of a white German mother and a black African father, meets Lutz, a compassionate member of the Hitler Youth whose father is a prominent Nazi soldier, and they form an unlikely connection in this quickly changing world.

Where to Watch

Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

7.3/10

Good


Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Fair

The story centers on a heterosexual romance between the two leads. It does not explicitly feature LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisnormative expressions.

Gender Representation

Good

Leyna disrupts traditional hierarchies by serving as the narrative's moral compass. She avoids submissive tropes, navigating complex political landscapes with significant autonomy.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Excellent

The film excels by centering a biracial protagonist within the Third Reich. This choice challenges the era's racial homogeneity and exposes the fragility of the social order.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Excellent

The narrative critiques hyper-nationalism and the Nazi state's pursuit of racial purity. It frames the oppressive political system as the primary antagonist to human connection.

Disability Representation

Minimal

There are no prominent depictions of physical or neurodivergent disabilities that serve as central plot drivers in this setting.

Strengths

  • Exceptional depiction of racial intersectionality through a biracial protagonist.
  • Strong female agency that avoids traditional submissive gender tropes.
  • Effective critique of hyper-nationalism and systemic oppression.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lack of explicit LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisnormative gender expressions.
  • Absence of disability representation within the narrative framework.

AI Analysis

Amma Asante delivers a powerful intersectional drama that uses the historical setting of 1944 Germany to challenge systemic barriers. By centering a biracial protagonist, the film forces a confrontation with the era's racial ideologies, granting high agency to a character of color in a white-dominated space. The film also succeeds in its gender portrayal, presenting a female lead who drives the emotional and intellectual momentum of the story. Rather than a passive figure, Leyna acts as a catalyst for moral inquiry within a restrictive wartime environment. While the film lacks explicit LGBTQ+ representation and disability narratives, its strength lies in its deconstruction of nationalist hierarchies. It effectively uses identity-based power struggles to highlight the corruption of the era's political structures.

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Featured in

  • Best Racial & Ethnic Representation in Film
  • Racial & Ethnic Representation in Drama
  • Best Religious & Cultural Representation in Film
  • Religious & Cultural Representation in Drama

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