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The Children of Chance

Name: The Children of Chance
Director: Malik Chibane
Released: 2016
Duration: 95 min

Representation Score

8.4/10

Excellent

2016

Director

Malik Chibane

Runtime

95 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film excels by centering the Jewish experience during the Nazi occupation of France. By making a minority character the primary driver of the plot, it provides a meaningful look at systemic oppression and survival. While the narrative offers a nuanced view of how physical illness intersects with survival, it lacks specific evidence regarding LGBTQ+ or gender-diverse representation. The focus remains largely on the historical and ethnic realities of the era. Overall, the film uses a medical setting to explore the power of the oppressed, though it stays within traditional historical frameworks regarding gender and sexuality.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Children of Chance have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film does not include explicit references to LGBTQ+ characters or non-straight relationships. The narrative focuses on children surviving within a wartime medical setting.

How does The Children of Chance portray gender?

Fair

The story centers on a young male protagonist named Maurice Gutman. While the presence of female staff and other boarders suggests a diverse cast, the main focus remains on the male lead's actions and decisions.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Children of Chance?

Good

The film centers on Maurice Gutman, a character of Jewish heritage. This positions an ethnic minority at the heart of a narrative about systemic erasure and survival during wartime.

How does The Children of Chance represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The plot explores the persecution of Jewish citizens during the Nazi occupation. It highlights themes of solidarity and the challenge to authority to preserve life.

Does The Children of Chance include disability representation?

Good

Physical vulnerabilities such as a broken leg and tuberculosis drive the protagonist's journey. These conditions serve as central mechanisms for his survival and integration into the community.

Present on Screen

Centers a Jewish protagonist navigating systemic state-sponsored violence.
Explores the intersection of physical illness and survival through a nuanced lens.
Highlights themes of solidarity and courage among underrepresented children.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight relationships.
Primary narrative focus is on a single male protagonist.
Provides limited detail regarding the roles of other characters with disabilities.

Official Synopsis

In the backdrop of the Nazi occupation of France, taken to the hospital for a broken leg from an accident, twelve-year-old Maurice Gutman is narrowly spared from the mass roundup that will take his family from him and leave them imprisoned in a distant death camp. At the hospital, Dr. Daviel diagnoses him with tuberculosis and imposes a long treatment, perhaps a humane ruse to prevent him from being deported. Over the course of two years, while living with the hospital staff, Maurice and eight other young boarders unforgettably experience friendship, solidarity and extraordinary courage. These are the children of luck.

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