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Fausto

Name: Fausto
Director: Andrea Bussmann
Released: 2019
Duration: 70 min

Representation Score

5.8/10

Fair

2019

Director

Andrea Bussmann

Runtime

70 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Fausto is a nuanced deconstruction of colonial knowledge systems that effectively counters Western dominance over folklore. By integrating the Faustian myth into the Oaxacan coastline, the film prioritizes a localized, mystical reality over empirical thinking. The film’s greatest strength lies in its authentic representation of indigenous and mixed-race cultures. It reclaims the landscape from colonial narratives by presenting indigenous cosmology as a lived reality rather than a marginal element. However, the film misses opportunities to engage with other progressive themes. It doesn’t explicitly focus on LGBTQ+ identities or challenge traditional gender roles to empower female characters.

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Category Breakdown

Does Fausto have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film doesn't focus on LGBTQ+ identities or challenge the assumption that everyone is straight. Shapeshifting adds a sense of fluidity, but LGBTQ+ characters aren't highlighted.

How does Fausto portray gender?

Fair

The story focuses on a child’s perspective and community experiences without challenging traditional gender roles. Female characters aren’t given much power or ability to act.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Fausto?

Excellent

The film features a predominantly indigenous and mixed-race cast, avoiding whitewashing by emphasizing the indigenous worldview as the central reality of the Oaxacan landscape.

How does Fausto represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film provides a strong critique of Western institutions and capitalism, favoring local spiritual practices and folk traditions over imposed Western religious and rationalist orders.

Does Fausto include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no prominent depictions of visible or invisible disabilities that play a central role in the story.

Present on Screen

Authentic portrayal of indigenous and mixed-race cultures through a localized cast.
Strong critique of Western institutions and the colonial urge to dominate nature.
Effective use of indigenous cosmology as a central narrative force.

Limited or Absent

Lack of focus on LGBTQ+ identities or stories involving non-straight relationships.
Missed chances to challenge traditional gender roles or empower female characters.
No depiction of visible or invisible disabilities.

Official Synopsis

On the Oaxacan coast of Mexico, rumblings of previous times are never far from the surface. Tales of shapeshifting, telepathy and dealings with the Devil are embedded in the colonization and enslavement of the Americas. Characters from the Faust legend mingle with the inhabitants, while attempting to colonize and control nature through a seemingly never-ending building project. Through literature, myth and local entanglements, the frontier between reality and fiction, and the seen and unseen, no longer apply.

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