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Has Beans

1998

G

Director

Andrew Tamandl

Runtime

9 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

The world is full of war and where can we hope to escape it? Home? - Certainly not by a stretch of this little computer animation. A lone kidney bean is being given the rough treatment by two much larger, bullying lima beans. In a number of fancy manoeuvres the kidney bean tricks the bullying two into believing they’ve killed him. When the kidney bean reaches his kin a battle of revenge is planned. The plan is foiled once ensconced in battle by the true ruler - the one who cooks beans in the kitchen. The battle scenes are stylistically similar to and remniscent of the battle scenes in the paintings of Australian artist, John Bracks, where he used pencils and decks of cards symbolically and as structural elements to recreate battle scenes.

Where to Watch

Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

4.5/10

Fair

Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Minimal

The film focuses entirely on physical survival and group retaliation. It contains no depictions of non-cisnormative identities or same-sex intimacy.

Gender Representation

Fair

As anthropomorphic legumes, the characters lack explicit gender markers. The narrative explores themes of bullying and dominance rather than gendered hierarchies.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Fair

The film uses species as a metaphor for social stratification. The kidney bean's struggle against larger lima beans mirrors a marginalized minority navigating a dominant landscape.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Good

The introduction of a human cook acts as a deconstructive force. This external power interrupts tribal warfare, offering a critique of localized power struggles.

Disability Representation

Minimal

There is no visible or invisible disability representation. The characters do not exhibit neurodivergent traits or use disability as a narrative device.

Strengths

  • Uses species as a sophisticated metaphor for social stratification and marginalization.
  • Subverts traditional combat tropes through the introduction of an indifferent systemic power.
  • Employs a unique visual language inspired by the structural compositions of John Bracks.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lacks explicit representation of human identities, gender, or sexual orientation.
  • Provides no engagement with disability or neurodivergent perspectives.
  • Relies on highly abstracted character profiles that limit direct demographic connection.

AI Analysis

Has Beans is a stylized allegory that uses anthropomorphic legumes to explore power dynamics and systemic intervention. While it lacks traditional demographic representation, it effectively uses scale and species to mirror social hierarchies and marginalization. The narrative subverts typical heroic combat tropes. Instead of a triumphant victory, the characters' agency is rendered secondary by the sudden, indifferent intervention of a human cook, highlighting the futility of their localized conflict. Ultimately, the film functions as a micro-allegory of survival. It trades explicit human identity for symbolic storytelling, using visual language to critique how smaller groups navigate landscapes controlled by larger, dominant forces.

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