You are here:

Mirage

Name: Mirage
Director: Armando Robles Godoy
Released: 1972
Duration: 82 min

Representation Score

6.5/10

Good

1972

Director

Armando Robles Godoy

Runtime

82 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Mirage is a postmodern exploration of perception that succeeds through its geographic and philosophical positioning. By moving the genre's setting away from North American landscapes, it provides a decolonial perspective that challenges mainstream cinematic norms. However, the film remains demographically traditional. It lacks meaningful representation for LGBTQ+ individuals, women, and people with disabilities, focusing instead on a singular, masculine-centric psychological journey. Ultimately, the work is intellectually progressive in its framework but visually and demographically conservative in its character archetypes.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Mirage have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses on metaphysical inquiry and existential themes rather than identity-based character studies. There are no visible queer characters or non-conforming gender identities in the narrative.

How does Mirage portray gender?

Fair

The story centers on a male protagonist's psychological journey through a desolate estate. Female characters have limited roles and the film does not challenge traditional gender hierarchies.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Mirage?

Good

By using a Peruvian desert setting, the film challenges Anglo-centric norms in genre cinema. The production's South American origins provide a diverse departure from the era's typical homogeneous casts.

How does Mirage represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative explores the subjectivity of truth and the instability of reality. It critiques traditional Western structures and the permanence of ownership through the desert setting.

Does Mirage include disability representation?

Limited

The film lacks characters with visible or invisible disabilities portrayed with significant roles. The focus remains on the protagonist's perceptual and psychological state.

Present on Screen

Challenges Western-centric sci-fi settings by using a South American backdrop.
Promotes the relativity of truth through its focus on subjective experiences.
Provides a decolonial space that shifts away from traditional North American landscapes.

Limited or Absent

Female characters lack significant roles and ability to act.
Characters with disabilities are not represented.
No explicit LGBTQ+ identities or queer presence.

Official Synopsis

A young man inherits a broken down estate at the edge of the Peruvian desert, with no explanation about the former owners or what had become of the once thriving house.

How are these scores produced? →