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The First Beautiful Thing

Name: The First Beautiful Thing
Director: Paolo Virzì
Released: 2010
Duration: 122 min

Representation Score

6.9/10

Good

2010

Not Rated

Director

Paolo Virzì

Runtime

122 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Paolo Virzì’s drama successfully challenges traditional gender roles by emphasizing the ability to act of women. By depicting the family as a site of dysfunction, it replaces idealized moralistic images with a nuanced portrayal of human connections. However, the film’s focus remains limited to a specific Italian context. It does not fully explore racial or LGBTQ+ diversity, maintaining a relatively homogeneous cast that reflects a narrow demographic range. Overall, the film offers a sophisticated look at identity and domestic instability, even though it stays within traditional demographic boundaries.

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Category Breakdown

Does The First Beautiful Thing have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The story revolves around a family evolving over thirty years, focusing on heterosexual relationships. It touches on adolescent identity exploration but lacks central LGBTQ+ characters or direct critiques of the assumption that everyone is straight.

How does The First Beautiful Thing portray gender?

Good

Anna challenges traditional gender roles as a strong, independent woman rather than a passive figure. The narrative emphasizes the role of female characters in driving the story, highlighting their autonomy and disrupting conventional gender dynamics.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The First Beautiful Thing?

Limited

The cast is predominantly Italian, capturing socioeconomic diversity within the coastal region. However, the film does not intentionally expand its representation to include diverse racial backgrounds or multi-layered identities.

How does The First Beautiful Thing represent religion and culture?

Good

The film emphasizes secular humanism and emotional authenticity over religious traditions. It portrays the Western family as chaotic and dysfunctional, breaking down the idealized image of a perfect family.

Does The First Beautiful Thing include disability representation?

Fair

Mental health and emotional volatility are presented as normal human experiences rather than specific disabilities. The film avoids inspirational stories centered on disability, but it does not explore neurodivergence or physical disabilities in depth.

Present on Screen

Highlights the autonomy and disruptive influence of female characters like Anna.
Portrays the Western family as chaotic and dysfunctional, challenging idealized models.
Avoids harmful stereotypes and focuses on the emotional ability to act of female characters.

Limited or Absent

Could benefit from more exploration of racial and LGBTQ+ diversity.
Maintains a relatively homogeneous cast that reflects a narrow demographic scope.
Does not delve into specific explorations of neurodivergence or physical disabilities.

Official Synopsis

The film tells the story of the Michelucci family, from the nineteen-seventies to the present day: the central character is the stunningly beautiful Anna, the lively, frivolous and sometimes embarrassing mother of Bruno and Valeria. Everything begins in the Summer of 1971, at the annual Summer beauty pageant held at Livorno’s most popular bathing establishment. Anna is unexpectedly crowned “Most Beautiful Mother”, unwittingly stirring the violent jealousy of her husband. From then on, chaos strikes the family and for Anna, Bruno and his sister Valeria, it is the start of an adventure that will only end thirty years later.

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