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Victoria & Abdul

Name: Victoria & Abdul
Director: Stephen Frears
Released: 2017
Duration: 112 min

Representation Score

5.7/10

Fair

2017

PG-13

Director

Stephen Frears

Runtime

112 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Victoria & Abdul successfully critiques the racial and gendered hierarchies inherent in the British Raj. By focusing on the relationship between a British Monarch and an Indian clerk, the film reverses traditional colonial power dynamics, giving the Indian subject significant intellectual influence. While the film lacks LGBTQ+ representation and disability-focused narratives, it compensates through a strong post-colonial perspective. It portrays the British establishment as an obstructive force, allowing Victoria to exercise ability to act against rigid social norms. Ultimately, the film uses a personal connection to deconstruct the perceived superiority of Western imperial institutions, making it a nuanced historical drama.

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Category Breakdown

Does Victoria & Abdul have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or narratives. The story focuses solely on the friendship between the protagonists within the societal norms of the time.

How does Victoria & Abdul portray gender?

Good

Queen Victoria is portrayed as a key decision-maker, challenging traditional Victorian gender roles. The film highlights the male-dominated British establishment as a reactionary force, thereby subverting traditional submissive femininity.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Victoria & Abdul?

Excellent

The film stands out by presenting Abdul Karim, an Indian man, as a teacher to the British Monarch. This challenges racial prejudices by giving an Indian subject significant intellectual influence.

How does Victoria & Abdul represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The narrative criticizes Western imperial institutions as xenophobic and rigid. It presents a post-colonial perspective that emphasizes human connections over oppressive mechanisms of the British Empire.

Does Victoria & Abdul include disability representation?

Minimal

The film does not feature characters with visible or invisible disabilities as central plot drivers.

Present on Screen

Challenges racial hierarchies by giving Abdul Karim significant intellectual influence.
Subverts traditional gender roles by centering Queen Victoria as a powerful, decisive leader.
Provides a sophisticated post-colonial critique of the British Empire's xenophobic institutions.

Limited or Absent

Lacks any representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth narratives.
Does not include characters with visible or invisible disabilities as central plot elements.

Official Synopsis

Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.

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