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The Wasteland

Name: The Wasteland
Director: Ahmad Bahrami
Released: 2022
Duration: 102 min

Representation Score

5.3/10

Fair

2022

Director

Ahmad Bahrami

Runtime

102 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The film effectively portrays a diverse workforce, using the brick factory as a setting to highlight ethnic diversity. This multi-ethnic community provides a rich context for exploring communal survival. However, the narrative relies on traditional romantic clichés, especially concerning the female lead's role. The story focuses heavily on the protagonist's personal stakes and the hierarchical power structure. Overall, the film offers a nuanced exploration of socio-economic tensions and power dynamics within a diverse working-class environment.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Wasteland have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or non-straight relationships. The romantic tension is centered around Lotfollah’s traditional affection for Sarvar.

How does The Wasteland portray gender?

Fair

Sarvar is a key character, but her role is mainly defined by her relationship with the protagonist. There is no clear indication of her having significant influence in the industrial setting.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Wasteland?

Good

The narrative focuses on a multi-ethnic workforce, breaking down homogeneous representations. The factory serves as a microcosm where various ethnic identities coexist.

How does The Wasteland represent religion and culture?

Good

The story examines the tension between traditional production methods and modern economic pressures. It highlights the struggles of underrepresented labor groups within centralized power structures.

Does The Wasteland include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no characters with visible or invisible disabilities mentioned in the narrative.

Present on Screen

Emphasis on a multi-ethnic workforce.
Use of a shared industrial setting to highlight diverse identities.
Exploration of complex power dynamics between workers and authority.

Limited or Absent

No representation of non-straight relationships.
Female characters are primarily defined by their relationships with men.
No characters with visible or invisible disabilities.

Official Synopsis

A remote brick manufacture factory produces bricks in an ancient way. Many families with different ethnicities work in the factory and the boss seems to hold the key to solving their problems. Forty-year-old Lotfollah, who has been born on-site, is the factory supervisor and acts as go-between for the workers and the boss. Boss has Lotfollah gather all the workers in front of his office. He wants to talk to them about the shutdown of the factory. All matters now to Lotfollah is to keep Sarvar unharmed, the woman he has been in love with for a long time.

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