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The ABCs of Death

Name: The ABCs of Death
Director: Angela Bettis, Hélène Cattet, Ernesto Díaz Espinoza, Jason Eisener, Bruno Forzani, Adrián García Bogliano, Xavier Gens, Noboru Iguchi, Thomas Cappelen Malling, Jorge Michel Grau, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Banjong Pisanthanakun, Simon Rumley, Marcel Sarmiento, Jon Schnepp, Srđan Spasojević, Timo Tjahjanto, Andrew Traucki, Nacho Vigalondo, Jake West, Ti West, Ben Wheatley, Adam Wingard, Yudai Yamaguchi, Lee Hardcastle, Kaare Andrews, Anders Morgenthaler
Released: 2013
Duration: 129 min

Representation Score

8.2/10

Excellent

2013

Not Rated

Director

Angela Bettis, Hélène Cattet, Ernesto Díaz Espinoza, Jason Eisener, Bruno Forzani, Adrián García Bogliano, Xavier Gens, Noboru Iguchi, Thomas Cappelen Malling, Jorge Michel Grau, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Banjong Pisanthanakun, Simon Rumley, Marcel Sarmiento, Jon Schnepp, Srđan Spasojević, Timo Tjahjanto, Andrew Traucki, Nacho Vigalondo, Jake West, Ti West, Ben Wheatley, Adam Wingard, Yudai Yamaguchi, Lee Hardcastle, Kaare Andrews, Anders Morgenthaler

Runtime

129 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

By employing an international team of directors, the film breaks away from Western-centric norms, offering a range of ethnicities and visual styles. However, the anthology format limits the exploration of complex identities and deep character development. This results in a fragmented approach that challenges traditional gender hierarchies and social structures without fully exploring multi-layered themes.

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Category Breakdown

Does The ABCs of Death have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

Due to its anthology format, the film doesn't delve deeply into LGBTQ+ identities. Characters tend to follow horror stereotypes rather than nuanced queer stories or critiques of the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does The ABCs of Death portray gender?

Good

Female characters often show great strength and resilience, challenging traditional passive roles. Masculinity is frequently shown through vulnerability, humor, or outright failure.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The ABCs of Death?

Good

The involvement of directors from Japan, Thailand, and Argentina ensures a variety of ethnicities and visual styles, preventing a narrow Western perspective.

How does The ABCs of Death represent religion and culture?

Good

The film dismisses conventional Western institutions like religion and family, showing them as ineffective. It emphasizes individual experiences and situational ethics over unified moral codes.

Does The ABCs of Death include disability representation?

Limited

Physical disabilities and transformations are central to the body horror, but these depictions often use physical vulnerability as a shock device rather than giving characters real control over their situations.

Present on Screen

The international directorial team brings a diverse, non-Western visual language.
Female characters often demonstrate strong resilience and ability to act.
The film challenges traditional gender hierarchies and male dominance.
It incorporates global perspectives and ethnicities, moving beyond Western-centric horror.

Limited or Absent

The short segments hinder the development of nuanced LGBTQ+ character arcs.
Physical disabilities are often used for shock rather than providing meaningful character's ability to drive the story.
Characters are frequently defined by horror archetypes rather than complex identities.
The focus on visceral body horror can overshadow deeper multi-layered character studies.

Official Synopsis

An ambitious anthology film featuring segments directed by over two dozen of the world's leading talents in contemporary genre film. Inspired by children's educational ABC books, the film comprises 26 individual chapters, each helmed by a different director assigned a letter of the alphabet. The directors were then given free reign in choosing a word to create a story involving death.

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