New Showbiz

You are here:
With Friends Like These

With Friends Like These

2007

Director

Felix van Groeningen

Runtime

100 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

When Black Kelly gets back from New York, she discovers that more has changed than just her hair color while she's been away. Frederic found himself a girlfriend and plans to move. Kurt and Blonde Kelly live together with their one-year-old child. And Patrick's gone. Reunited with the old gang, Black Kelly realizes that life went on during her absence and that things will never be the same...

Where to Watch

Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

4.2/10

Fair


Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Limited

The film operates within traditional romantic frameworks and heteronormative social structures. It lacks explicit LGBTQ+ characters or narratives that actively critique these conventional social bounds.

Gender Representation

Fair

The story disrupts gender hierarchies by centering Black Kelly's emotional journey. It subverts masculine archetypes by portraying male characters through states of vulnerability and social instability.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Fair

The ensemble is predominantly Caucasian, reflecting a specific rural Belgian context. However, the protagonist's racial identity is used to explore themes of belonging and social perception.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Good

The film explores moral relativism and the suffocating pressure of tight-knit social units. It treats parenthood and domesticity with nuanced realism rather than idealized sentimentality.

Disability Representation

Minimal

There is no evidence of visible or invisible disabilities integrated into the narrative. Characters appear to function within standard physical and neurotypical parameters.

Strengths

  • Centers female agency by making the protagonist the catalyst for the group's emotional realizations.
  • Subverts traditional masculine archetypes by portraying men in states of vulnerability and flux.
  • Uses moral relativism to provide a nuanced, realistic depiction of domesticity and parenthood.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lacks explicit LGBTQ+ representation or narratives that challenge heteronormative structures.
  • Provides almost no visibility or agency for characters with disabilities.
  • The ensemble remains largely homogenous, reflecting a limited racial and ethnic breadth.

AI Analysis

With Friends Like These is a naturalistic character study that prioritizes the friction between individual identity and communal expectations. It succeeds in deconstructing social institutions and centering female agency within a shifting landscape. However, the film lacks demographic breadth. It offers very little representation for LGBTQ+ identities or characters with disabilities, remaining largely within conventional social parameters. Ultimately, the film's strength lies in its nuanced exploration of moral gray areas and the complexities of returning to a community that has fundamentally changed.

How are these scores produced? →

Similar Movies

Movie poster for Friendship!

Friendship!

2010

No user ratings available yet
Diversity score: 5.3 out of 10

Rate this Movie

No rating selected
Use arrow keys to select a rating from 1 to 5 stars
Optional text review, maximum 2000 characters
Tip: Wrap spoilers with ||double pipes|| to hide them
0/2000 characters
You must be signed in to submit a rating

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts on this movie!

Use the rating form above to leave a star rating and optional review.