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Ithaca

Name: Ithaca
Director: Meg Ryan
Released: 2015
Duration: 96 min

Representation Score

2.0/10

Minimal

2015

Director

Meg Ryan

Runtime

96 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Ithaca is a period-specific character study that prioritizes historical realism and traditional narrative structures. It operates within the established social hierarchies of the mid-20th century, focusing on the humanistic elements of a coming-of-age story. While it captures the essence of the home front, it lacks contemporary multi-layered depth or the subversion of social norms. Ultimately, the production mirrors the demographic and cultural homogeneity of its 1942 setting, offering a cohesive but traditional moral framework.

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Category Breakdown

Does Ithaca have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film follows a traditional coming-of-age arc set in the 1940s. It adheres to the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender without exploring non-traditional gender identities or same-sex relationships.

How does Ithaca portray gender?

Fair

Female characters play key roles in the family unit, especially the widowed mother. However, the story reinforces era-specific gender hierarchies, focusing on nurturing roles rather than challenging power dynamics.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Ithaca?

Limited

The narrative reflects a homogeneous demographic typical of a 1942 rural California town. Characters of color are not given significant roles or ability to act.

How does Ithaca represent religion and culture?

Limited

The film emphasizes universalist morality and traditional Western values. It prioritizes communal resilience and the sanctity of the family unit over institutional critique.

Does Ithaca include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no indication of characters with visible or invisible disabilities within the narrative.

Present on Screen

Provides an authentic portrayal of 1940s domestic life and wartime family responsibilities.
Focuses on universal humanistic themes like resilience, goodness, and the transition from youth to adulthood.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of diverse gender identities or non-straight relationships.
Does not include characters of color in positions of ability to act or significant narrative importance.
Reinforces traditional gender roles rather than exploring modern or subversive power dynamics.

Official Synopsis

In a small town in California's San Joaquin Valley, 14-year-old Homer Macauley is determined to be the best and fastest bicycle telegraph messenger anyone has ever seen. His older brother has gone to war, leaving Homer to look after his widowed mother, his older sister and his 4-year-old brother, Ulysses. And so it is that as spring turns to summer, 1942, Homer Macauley delivers messages of love, hope, pain... and death... to the good people of Ithaca. And Homer Macauley will grapple with one message that will change him forever - from a boy into a man. Based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Saroyan's 1943 novel, The Human Comedy, ITHACA is the quintessential wartime tale of the Home Front. It is a coming-of-age story about the exuberance of youth, the sweetness of life, the sting of death and the modesty and sheer goodness that lives in each and every one of us.

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