The film focuses entirely on heteronormative male companionship and platonic brotherhood. No LGBTQ+ characters or non-cisnormative identities are explored.

The narrative centers on traditional masculine archetypes like stoicism and physical labor. It remains almost entirely male-centric, offering little subversion of gender hierarchies.

The story disrupts Western tropes by centering the moral core on a white protagonist and a Mexican immigrant. It grants significant agency and dignity to Melquiades Estrada.

The film critiques systemic pressures on marginalized populations and portrays state institutions as obstacles to justice. It frames the immigrant experience through a post-colonial lens.

No significant depictions of physical or neurodivergent disabilities are central to the narrative arc.