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Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974

Name: Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974
Director: Julian Jarrold
Released: 2009
Duration: 106 min

Representation Score

8.2/10

Excellent

2009

Not Rated

Director

Julian Jarrold

Runtime

106 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Red Riding is a period thriller that dismantles authority and explores subjective morality. Using the 1970s backdrop, it examines queer identity and the conflict between individual identity and systemic structures. The film's strength lies in its critical examination of social hierarchies and institutional corruption. It goes beyond historical drama to explore how evolving sexual and gender dynamics challenge established norms. However, the narrative is limited by its geographic and temporal focus. The rural Yorkshire setting leads to a lack of racial and ethnic diversity, and there is no meaningful representation of disability within the central plot.

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Category Breakdown

Does Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974 have LGBTQ+ representation?

Good

The film sets its story in the 1970s to highlight the tension between sexual liberation and traditional social norms. Intimacies between same-sex characters serve as a lens to explore these tensions.

How does Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974 portray gender?

Good

The narrative examines the shifting power dynamics and the reversal of traditional gender roles during the sexual revolution. Characters navigate changing social freedoms and emphasize personal empowerment.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974?

Limited

Set in rural Yorkshire, the film focuses on class and socioeconomic differences rather than ethnic diversity. It lacks significant evidence of racial or ethnic diversity due to its specific historical setting.

How does Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974 represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The story critiques Western institutions, particularly policing and parental authority. It portrays the breakdown of social order as a quest for liberation rather than just rebellion.

Does Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974 include disability representation?

Fair

There is no significant evidence of characters with visible or invisible disabilities driving the narrative. The focus remains on class, sexual identity, and institutional corruption.

Present on Screen

Thoughtful exploration of queer identity and non-traditional intimacies.
Critical look at institutional corruption and systemic power structures.
Effective portrayal of evolving gender roles and personal empowerment.

Limited or Absent

Lack of racial and ethnic diversity within the historical setting.
Minimal representation of characters with visible or invisible disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Yorkshire, 1974. Fear, mistrust and institutionalised police corruption are running riot. Rookie journalist Eddie Dunford is determined to search for the truth in an increasingly complex maze of lies and deceit surrounding the police investigation into a series of child abductions. When young Clare Kemplay goes missing, Eddie and his colleague, Barry, persuade their editor to let them investigate links with two similar abductions that draw them into a deadly world of secrecy, intimidation, shocking revelations and police brutality.

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