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Tongue Cutters

Name: Tongue Cutters
Director: Solveig Melkeraaen
Released: 2017
Duration: 82 min

Representation Score

3.4/10

Limited

2017

Director

Solveig Melkeraaen

Runtime

82 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Tongue Cutters serves as a sociological study of a specific Norwegian tradition rather than a film designed for identity-based representation. It provides a clinical look at how children engage in high-intensity manual labor to support their families. The film's strength lies in its ability to challenge Western perceptions of childhood. By documenting the pragmatic reality of the fishing industry, it forces viewers to confront different cultural standards of economic ability to act and labor. However, the film is limited by its narrow geographic and ethnic focus. The lack of diverse identities makes it a specialized ethnographic piece rather than a broad representation of human experience.

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Category Breakdown

Does Tongue Cutters have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The documentary focuses on the labor practices of children in the Norwegian fishing industry. There is no mention of LGBTQ+ characters or narratives addressing non-straight relationships.

How does Tongue Cutters portray gender?

Fair

Gender roles appear secondary to age and economic necessity in this labor environment. The depiction of children performing manual labor challenges traditional domestic expectations of childhood.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Tongue Cutters?

Fair

The narrative centers on a homogeneous local population in Northern Norway. While the industry serves a global market, the on-screen representation focuses on the local Norwegian demographic.

How does Tongue Cutters represent religion and culture?

Good

The film disrupts Western narratives regarding the sanctity of childhood. It frames child labor as a normalized, essential, and lucrative part of the local seasonal economy.

Does Tongue Cutters include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no documented evidence regarding the inclusion of characters with visible or invisible disabilities.

Present on Screen

Challenges idealized Western norms regarding the protection and sanctity of childhood.
Provides a pragmatic, observational look at seasonal economic realities and traditional industry.
Offers a unique sociological perspective on child labor as a normalized cultural practice.

Limited or Absent

Lacks significant diverse identity representation.
Focuses on a highly homogeneous demographic with limited ethnic variety.
Does not address LGBTQ+ identities or disability representation.

Official Synopsis

Hidden between a row of fishermen gutting fish, standing on a floor full of blood and intestines we find Tobias (10). In front of him is a big box filled with cod heads. With an almost frightening pace he slices and cuts the tongues off the heads, and puts them on a big nail. In the northern part of Norway Tobias and many other children work as cod tongue cutters. The tongues are considered a delicacy, and they are exported around the world to countries like China and Japan. But in Northern Norway they are simply everyday food when in season. The children start from the age of 6, and can earn a lot of money during a winter season. This job has always been reserved for the children, as long as the fishing industry has existed.

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