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This Beautiful Fantastic

This Beautiful Fantastic

2016

PG

Director

Simon Aboud

Runtime

100 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

Set against the backdrop of a beautiful garden in the heart of London, this contemporary fairy tale revolves around the unlikely friendship between a reclusive young woman and a cantankerous old widower. Bella Brown is a beautifully quirky young woman who dreams of writing and illustrating a successful children’s book. After she is forced by her landlord to deal with her neglected garden or face eviction, she meets her match, nemesis, and unlikely mentor in Alfie Stephenson, a grumpy, loveless, old man who lives next door who happens to be an amazing horticulturalist.

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Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

4.2/10

Fair


Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Minimal

The film follows a traditional heteronormative framework. It lacks significant presence of non-cisnormative identities or narratives that challenge standard social structures.

Gender Representation

Fair

Bella Brown serves as a strong female protagonist with significant agency. The story centers her intellectual pursuits and creative ambitions rather than relying on submissive tropes.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Limited

The cast reflects a predominantly Anglo-Saxon demographic within its London setting. The narrative does not utilize multicultural casting to disrupt conventional expectations of the environment.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Fair

The story focuses on humanist perspectives and the beauty of the natural world. It avoids critiques of Western institutions, focusing instead on personal connections and individual resilience.

Disability Representation

Good

The film handles mortality and the fragility of life with nuance. It portrays vulnerability as a fundamental human condition rather than using aging as a mere plot device.

Strengths

  • Provides meaningful female agency through the protagonist's creative and personal struggles.
  • Offers a nuanced, non-exploitative portrayal of aging and the fragility of life.
  • Focuses on humanistic connections and the dignity of individual struggle.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lacks significant representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisnormative narratives.
  • Maintains a predominantly Anglo-Saxon demographic without multicultural blending.
  • Operates within a traditional heteronormative and Western storytelling framework.

AI Analysis

This film is a character-driven drama that prioritizes existential themes over identity-based power dynamics. It explores the intersection of creativity and mortality through an intimate, humanistic lens. The narrative succeeds in providing a nuanced portrayal of female agency and the complexities of aging. However, it remains firmly within the bounds of traditional Western storytelling structures. While the film offers emotional depth, it lacks significant representation of LGBTQ+ identities or racial diversity, maintaining a very conventional demographic profile.

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