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With Closed Eyes

Name: With Closed Eyes
Director: Francesca Archibugi
Released: 1994
Duration: 113 min

Representation Score

4.8/10

Fair

1994

Director

Francesca Archibugi

Runtime

113 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Francesca Archibugi’s period drama explores the tension between systemic authority and individual ability to act. Instead of relying on diverse demographic representation, the film emphasizes deconstructing class-based tyranny and the traditional romantic heroine. The story centers on a woman navigating displacement and non-traditional roles, which disrupts the expected morality of 19th-century period pieces. This approach favors complex social dynamics over idealized archetypes. However, the film remains confined by its historical setting, resulting in a homogeneous cast and a conventional straight-centered romantic framework.

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Category Breakdown

Does With Closed Eyes have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film follows a traditional heterosexual relationship between Pietro and Ghisola. It doesn't include any non-binary or transgender characters or stories that challenge the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does With Closed Eyes portray gender?

Fair

Ghisola's journey challenges the passive female stereotype by focusing on her ability to act and survival. The film subtly questions male dominance through the tension between patriarchal authority and emotional autonomy.

How racially and ethnically diverse is With Closed Eyes?

Fair

The cast reflects the homogenous demographics of 19th-century Tuscan society. While there is no multicultural casting, the film highlights class distinctions rather than promoting racial hierarchy.

How does With Closed Eyes represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative critiques traditional Western power structures and oppressive class hierarchies. It moves away from strict moral codes by examining the situational ethics of Ghisola's life as a mistress.

Does With Closed Eyes include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no evidence of the portrayal of physical or cognitive disabilities in this work.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional gender hierarchies by highlighting Ghisola's ability to act and survival.
Offers a nuanced critique of oppressive class structures and landed gentry.
Avoids rigid moral archetypes by exploring complex, situational ethics.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or perspectives.
Maintains a homogeneous cast consistent with its specific historical setting.
Provides no discernible representation of physical or cognitive disabilities.

Official Synopsis

In the Tuscan countryside at the end of the 19th century, Pietro, the shy son of a tyrannical landowner, falls in love with Ghisola, a peasant girl with no family. His father has her sent away. Years later, the two meet again: still in love with her, Pietro would like to marry her, but she has become the mistress of a married man.

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