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The Living and the Dead

Name: The Living and the Dead
Director: Kristijan Milić
Released: 2007
Duration: 87 min

Representation Score

2.7/10

Limited

2007

Director

Kristijan Milić

Runtime

87 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film functions as a dual-timeline genre piece that prioritizes historical trauma and metaphysical phenomena over social representation. The narrative structure is built around the cyclical nature of warfare, specifically focusing on the conflicts of 1943 and 1993. Because the setting is a masculine-coded combat environment, the film lacks significant diversity in gender and LGBTQ+ representation. The focus remains on the soldiers and the supernatural occurrences they encounter during their missions. While the film engages with the complex ethnic and political identities of the Balkan region, it does so through a lens of historical conflict rather than a broad exploration of intersecting identities.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Living and the Dead have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses on military conflict and supernatural events. It does not include any non-binary gender or LGBTQ+ identities or narratives that question the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does The Living and the Dead portray gender?

Limited

The story centers on male-dominated military units across two timelines. Characters occupy traditional masculine roles within combat hierarchies without challenging gender norms.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Living and the Dead?

Fair

The narrative explores ethnic and political friction within the Yugoslav wars. However, it lacks broader racial diversity or non-human metaphors to address identity.

How does The Living and the Dead represent religion and culture?

Fair

The film deconstructs historical narratives by juxtaposing two eras of conflict. It remains rooted in specific regional identities and nationalistic military history.

Does The Living and the Dead include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no mention of characters navigating physical or neurodivergent disabilities. No evidence suggests disability is used as a plot device.

Present on Screen

Engages with the complex ethnic and political tensions of the Yugoslav wars.
Uses a supernatural framework to explore the cyclical nature of historical trauma.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of women or non-traditional gender roles in the narrative.
Provides no visible inclusion of LGBTQ+ identities or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth perspectives.
Does not address physical or neurodivergent disabilities within the character arcs.

Official Synopsis

In 1943, group of Croatian soldiers overtake a strategically important point in western Bosnia with a goal to destroy a group of communist partisans. On the way they met some supernatural phenomena, and the action itself went very badly because the partisans ambushed them. The main character Martin inherits silver cigarette case from a dying soldier. This act connects to the story in 1993 when we meet Martins grandson Tomo. He is one of six soldiers of the Croatian army who have come to the same place in Bosnia to meet the same phenomena and similar fate.

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