You are here:

The Abandoned

Name: The Abandoned
Director: Emilio Fernández
Released: 1945
Duration: 103 min

Representation Score

3.8/10

Limited

1945

Director

Emilio Fernández

Runtime

103 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Emilio Fernández’s work provides a vital counter-narrative to the Eurocentric cinematic trends of the 1940s. By focusing on the Indigenismo movement, the film elevates the dignity of Mexican rural peasantry and mestizo identities. The narrative disrupts traditional hierarchies by placing survival and empowerment in the hands of a woman abandoned by her fiancé. However, the film remains tied to the melodramatic traditions of the era, often depicting female strength through the lens of suffering. Ultimately, the film serves as a historical document validating underrepresented domestic demographics. It replaces Hollywood homogeneity with a grounded, culturally specific exploration of social and economic strife.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does The Abandoned have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film centers on traditional romantic and family struggles within the social norms of 1940s Mexico. It does not explore non-binary gender identities or LGBTQ+ narratives.

How does The Abandoned portray gender?

Fair

A female protagonist faces infidelity and social abandonment. She demonstrates strength through survival but the narrative often leans into melodramatic clichés of the sacrificial mother.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Abandoned?

Excellent

The film highlights indigenous and mestizo identities through the Indigenismo movement. It emphasizes the dignity of rural Mexican populations over Eurocentric views.

How does The Abandoned represent religion and culture?

Good

The story examines socioeconomic exploitation and the struggles of the rural poor. It offers a nuanced look at power dynamics and systemic issues in early 20th-century Mexico.

Does The Abandoned include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no documented evidence regarding the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities in this work.

Present on Screen

Highlights indigenous and mestizo identities through the Indigenismo framework.
Empowers a woman facing systemic social and economic abandonment.
Critiques socioeconomic exploitation in rural Mexico.

Limited or Absent

Relies on melodramatic clichés of the sacrificial mother.
Does not include non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth gender identities or LGBTQ+ narratives.
Does not portray physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

A young woman, abandoned by her womanizing fiancé, is forced to provide for the upbringing of her son and combat the difficulties of being an unmarried mother during the strife of early 20-century Mexico.

How are these scores produced? →