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By the Time It Gets Dark

Name: By the Time It Gets Dark
Director: Anocha Suwichakornpong
Released: 2016
Duration: 106 min

Representation Score

9.4/10

Excellent

2016

Not Rated

Director

Anocha Suwichakornpong

Runtime

106 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Anocha Suwichakornpong’s film is a sophisticated deconstruction of state authority and historical truth. It excels by centering female intellect and providing a deeply localized Thai perspective that resists Western-centric storytelling models. The work is most impactful in its cultural critique, using a non-linear framework to challenge the legitimacy of official nationalistic narratives. It prioritizes the fragmented, subjective experiences of individuals over cohesive, state-sanctioned histories. However, the film lacks explicit representation regarding LGBTQ+ identities and disability. While it avoids harmful stereotypes, these areas remain secondary to the film's broader focus on political and psychological trauma.

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Category Breakdown

Does By the Time It Gets Dark have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film focuses on the fluidity of memory rather than explicit LGBTQ+ identities. It avoids harmful stereotypes by rejecting rigid social structures.

How does By the Time It Gets Dark portray gender?

Excellent

women's ability to drive the story is central to both personal and historical inquiries. Characters like Ann and Taew shape their own perspectives, subverting traditional masculine narratives through emotional resilience.

How racially and ethnically diverse is By the Time It Gets Dark?

Good

The film features a predominantly Thai cast and avoids the Western gaze. It presents an authentic, localized cultural landscape shaped by specific national traumas.

How does By the Time It Gets Dark represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The narrative offers a profound critique of state-sponsored violence and institutional power. It challenges official historical records by favoring the subjective, often suppressed voices of the underrepresented.

Does By the Time It Gets Dark include disability representation?

Fair

There is no explicit evidence of characters with visible or invisible disabilities. The film prioritizes collective psychological and historical trauma over individual disability representation.

Present on Screen

Strong centering of women's ability to drive the story and intellect within a historical context.
Authentic, localized Thai cultural landscape that avoids the Western gaze.
Powerful critique of institutional power and state-sponsored historical suppression.

Limited or Absent

Lack of overt LGBTQ+ representation or non-straight-centered character arcs.
Minimal focus on characters with visible or invisible disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Film-maker Ann has an upcoming project about the 1976 massacre of Thai students. She interviews Taew, a survivor, at a mountain retreat only to have her perspective change as the project progresses.

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