You are here:

The Car

Name: The Car
Director: Elliot Silverstein
Released: 1977
Duration: 96 min

Representation Score

1.8/10

Minimal

1977

Director

Elliot Silverstein

Runtime

96 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The Car operates as a traditional 1970s thriller that emphasizes suspense and genre conventions over social issues. The story revolves around familiar types, creating a very homogeneous social environment that reflects the demographics of the time. The film focuses on a single, traditional American demographic, offering little space for diverse identities or challenging social norms. Male characters primarily drive the narrative, while the setting remains racially and culturally uniform. Overall, the film serves as a straightforward genre piece. It avoids critiquing broader social structures or exploring multiple layers of identity, sticking to a narrow, conventional perspective of rural American life.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does The Car have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not feature any notable LGBTQ+ characters or stories that go beyond the assumption that everyone is straight. The social world remains very traditional.

How does The Car portray gender?

Limited

Male characters like Captain Wade Parent play key roles in driving the story. Female characters have smaller roles and mostly act in response to events rather than initiating change.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Car?

Limited

The film depicts Santa Ynez as a predominantly white, rural area. There is no blending of races or exploration of racial identity.

How does The Car represent religion and culture?

Fair

The story focuses on local law enforcement facing a supernatural threat. It stays within a typical Western framework without much cultural variety.

Does The Car include disability representation?

Minimal

The film does not show any characters with visible or invisible disabilities. No such characters play significant roles in the story.

Present on Screen

The film effectively builds suspense using traditional thriller techniques.

Limited or Absent

The story heavily relies on traditional gender roles, limiting female influence.
The social environment lacks racial and ethnic diversity, showing a uniform setting.
There is no LGBTQ+ representation or stories involving queer characters.
The film does not include characters with visible or invisible disabilities.

Official Synopsis

The Utah community of Santa Ynez is being terrorized by a mysterious black coupe that appears out of nowhere and begins running people down. After the car kills off the town sheriff, Captain Wade Parent is determined to stop the murderous driver.

How are these scores produced? →