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Compulsion

Name: Compulsion
Director: Craig Goodwill
Released: 2016
Duration: 92 min

Representation Score

5.8/10

Fair

2016

NC-17

Director

Craig Goodwill

Runtime

92 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Compulsion serves as a psychological study of boundary-pushing interpersonal dynamics. It excels by dismantling traditional social hierarchies and delving into moral ambiguity and sensory discovery. The film’s strength lies in its rejection of didactic storytelling, opting for a postmodern exploration of identity and desire. However, the high-society Italian setting hints at a possible lack of racial and ethnic diversity, focusing primarily on Western social structures.

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Category Breakdown

Does Compulsion have LGBTQ+ representation?

Good

The story focuses on the sexual and moral exploration between two women, Sadie and Francesca, challenging traditional heterosexual norms and breaking away from typical romantic clichés.

How does Compulsion portray gender?

Good

Female characters play active roles in a high-stakes psychological game, avoiding the damsel-in-distress cliché and positioning women as intellectual and physical actors in a dangerous environment.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Compulsion?

Fair

Set in an Italian villa, the film seems to emphasize a Eurocentric aesthetic without clear evidence of a diverse cast, suggesting a traditional Western-centric perspective.

How does Compulsion represent religion and culture?

Good

The story critiques upper-class Western social institutions using moral relativism, portraying these settings as unstable facades and emphasizing subjective truths over traditional morals.

Does Compulsion include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no information provided about the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities in the film.

Present on Screen

Subverts traditional gender hierarchies by giving female characters significant roles.
Challenges traditional norms through a focus on queer-coded sexual discovery.
Rejects conventional moral frameworks in favor of complex psychological depth.

Limited or Absent

Lacks evidence of racial or ethnic diversity in its Eurocentric setting.
Does not include representations of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.
The narrative framework focuses heavily on Western social institutions.

Official Synopsis

Sadie—a young female novelist—and an enigmatic woman named Francesca, are enticed by an ex-lover to join him at his Italian villa for a weekend celebration being held to honor the release of Sadie's latest book. Once there, Sadie begins to fear his true intentions as she and Francesca become embroiled in a dangerous game of moral and sexual discovery.

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