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Connected

Name: Connected
Director: Luke Gilford
Released: 2016
Duration: 10 min

Representation Score

5.9/10

Fair

2016

Director

Luke Gilford

Runtime

10 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Connected is a psychological exploration of modern wellness culture that prioritizes women's ability to drive the story and intellectual complexity. By centering on the relationship between Jackie and Luna, the film disrupts traditional gender hierarchies and explores unconventional social bonds. The film excels at critiquing Western institutions and the pursuit of perfectionism. It uses its setting to challenge the sanctity of the wellness industry, offering a sharp commentary on contemporary lifestyle trends. However, the film lacks overt demographic breadth. While it subverts social structures, it provides little explicit representation of racial diversity or disability, remaining focused on a specific, stylized urban aesthetic.

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Category Breakdown

Does Connected have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film explores an intense, non-traditional bond between Jackie and Luna. Their relationship challenges traditional mentorship structures through its intimate subtext, though it does not explicitly mark their identities or romantic arcs.

How does Connected portray gender?

Good

The narrative centers on women's ability to drive the story and seek spiritual enlightenment outside of patriarchal structures. Luna disrupts traditional feminine roles by acting as an intellectually dominant and enigmatic force in Jackie's journey.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Connected?

Fair

The film utilizes a contemporary urban setting that suggests cosmopolitan identities. However, there is no explicit evidence of characters of color taking significant roles or blending diverse backgrounds within the narrative.

How does Connected represent religion and culture?

Good

The story offers a sophisticated critique of the Western wellness industry and the commodification of spirituality. It uses a postmodern lens to question the capitalist drive for self-optimization and perfection.

Does Connected include disability representation?

Minimal

The film provides no discernible evidence regarding the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Present on Screen

Strong disruption of traditional gender hierarchies through female-centric ability to act.
Sophisticated critique of the commodification of spirituality and wellness culture.
Subversion of conventional mentorship through intimate, non-traditional character dynamics.

Limited or Absent

Lack of explicit identity markers for LGBTQ+ representation.
Absence of visible racial diversity or actively leading characters of color.
No discernible representation of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Jackie is a burnt-out AuraCycle instructor in the midst of a midlife crisis. She's obsessed with self-improvement podcasts, and she is soon drawn to an advanced yet enigmatic wellness spa that promises to enhance her mind, body and soul. Guided by her effortless and nubile mentor, Luna, Jackie will give up anything to feel "connected" -- to herself, to the future, and to a precarious sense of perfection.

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