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Jawbone

Name: Jawbone
Director: Thomas Napper
Released: 2017
Duration: 91 min

Representation Score

3.5/10

Limited

2017

Director

Thomas Napper

Runtime

91 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Jawbone stands out as a piece of historical revisionism that challenges the typical homogeneity of 19th-century period dramas. By centering a Black protagonist, the film disrupts standard Anglo-Saxon historical clichés and provides a nuanced look at systemic hardship. However, the film remains tied to traditional gender hierarchies, limiting the ability to act of female characters. Additionally, there is no representation of LGBTQ+ identities or relationship dynamics. Ultimately, the film's impact comes from its multi-layered approach to identity and its deconstruction of the heroic archetype through a lens of institutionalized inequity.

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Category Breakdown

Does Jawbone have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or relationships that go beyond the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender. The story focuses solely on the protagonist's marital issues and his male-dominated boxing community.

How does Jawbone portray gender?

Fair

The film follows traditional gender roles of the time period, with the male protagonist and his mentors holding the majority of the ability to act. Women are mostly confined to the domestic sphere and are recipients of the protagonist's actions.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Jawbone?

Excellent

The film centers a Black protagonist in 1890s New York, offering significant depth and disrupting conventional historical clichés. It highlights the complexities of navigating systemic inequities during that era.

How does Jawbone represent religion and culture?

Good

The story critiques traditional Western institutions and rigid economic structures of the era. It portrays the protagonist's lifestyle as a necessary response to a corrupt and indifferent social order.

Does Jawbone include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no significant or central depiction of visible or invisible disabilities within the primary narrative arc.

Present on Screen

The film centers a Black protagonist, disrupting conventional historical clichés of the 1890s.
It provides a sophisticated critique of systemic oppression and corrupt social orders.
The narrative offers a complex, identity-driven struggle rather than a simple heroic archetype.

Limited or Absent

The film adheres to traditional gender hierarchies that limit women's ability to drive the story.
There is a lack of representation for LGBTQ+ identities or relationship dynamics.
The narrative does not feature characters with visible or invisible disabilities.

Official Synopsis

A former youth boxing champion, Jimmy McCabe is a man in search of hope but looking in all the wrong places. When he hits rock bottom he turns to his childhood boxing club and the only family he has left: gym owner Bill corner man Eddie and promoter Joe. Back in training, years after anyone thought he was a contender, he risks his life, as he tries to stand tall and regain his place in the world.

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