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Chime

Name: Chime
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Released: 2024
Duration: 45 min

Representation Score

6.1/10

Good

2024

Director

Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Runtime

45 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s short film prioritizes psychological unease and systemic disruption over demographic variety. The narrative focuses on the breakdown of personal ability to act and the fragility of social institutions when faced with the inexplicable. While the casting is culturally homogeneous and lacks LGBTQ+ or diverse gendered perspectives, the film delves into cognitive shifts. It uses horror to examine how external forces can undermine personal autonomy. Ultimately, the work serves as a study of existential instability. It trades broad social representation for a concentrated, unsettling look at how technology and auditory stimuli can compromise personal autonomy.

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Category Breakdown

Does Chime have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film does not depict LGBTQ+ identities or non-conforming gender expressions. Instead, it focuses on psychological distress and auditory hallucinations.

How does Chime portray gender?

Fair

The story revolves around a male protagonist and male students. While it challenges traditional hierarchies, it does not address gendered power dynamics.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Chime?

Limited

As a Japanese production, the film features a culturally homogeneous cast. It does not include non-Japanese characters to challenge traditional demographic norms.

How does Chime represent religion and culture?

Good

The film effectively dismantles institutional stability, showing how educational and professional structures crumble under external pressures. It presents an existentialist worldview through unsettling themes.

Does Chime include disability representation?

Good

Tashiro’s cognitive struggles and his perception of the chime provide a unique exploration of altered mental states. The use of technology to replace biological brain matter explores bodily autonomy.

Present on Screen

The film provides a powerful metaphor for the loss of autonomy through the intersection of technology and biology.
It effectively deconstructs the perceived stability of social and educational institutions.
The narrative offers a sophisticated exploration of altered cognitive states and subjective reality.

Limited or Absent

The cast lacks racial and ethnic diversity, remaining culturally homogeneous.
There is a notable absence of LGBTQ+ identities or non-conforming gender expressions.
The focus on male characters limits the exploration of diverse gendered perspectives.

Official Synopsis

A chef's life is disrupted by a chime that brings with it an increasing sense of dread.

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