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All the Fires

Name: All the Fires
Director: Mauricio Calderón Rico
Released: 2023
Duration: 96 min

Representation Score

8.1/10

Excellent

2023

Director

Mauricio Calderón Rico

Runtime

96 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

All the Fires succeeds in centering non-conformist identities, particularly through its integrated approach to LGBTQ+ themes and the psychological depth of its neurodivergent-coded protagonist. By framing pyromania as a response to trauma, the film offers a sophisticated look at underrepresented psychological states. However, the film maintains a traditional focus on men's control over the story, which limits the impact of its gender representation. While the female characters possess autonomy, they do not drive the central narrative arc. Ultimately, the film excels at deconstructing social norms and the stability of the nuclear family, providing a postmodern perspective on grief and identity.

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Category Breakdown

Does All the Fires have LGBTQ+ representation?

Good

Bruno’s journey of sexual self-discovery is central to his identity formation. The film integrates his questioning of sexuality into his broader struggle with grief, avoiding superficial clichés.

How does All the Fires portray gender?

Fair

The film portrays the mother as an independent individual navigating romantic complexities rather than a domestic anchor. However, the narrative focus remains primarily on the male protagonist.

How racially and ethnically diverse is All the Fires?

Fair

The story functions as a localized, culturally specific drama. While it lacks explicit multi-ethnic details, it avoids homogenized, Western-centric storytelling in favor of regional social dynamics.

How does All the Fires represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative deconstructs the nuclear family, presenting it as a site of instability. It uses pyromania and digital escapism to critique conventional social integration and traditional institutions.

Does All the Fires include disability representation?

Good

Bruno’s pyromania is treated as a complex psychological manifestation of trauma rather than a villainous spectacle. This provides a nuanced look at neurodivergent behavior through his emotional crisis.

Present on Screen

Integrates LGBTQ+ identity as a core component of character development rather than a subplot.
Provides a nuanced, non-spectacular portrayal of neurodivergent behaviors and trauma.
Challenges traditional family structures by depicting them as fragmented and unstable.

Limited or Absent

Primary narrative ability to act remains heavily centered on the male protagonist's psychological arc.
Lacks explicit detail regarding racial and ethnic diversity within the cast.
Female characters, while autonomous, serve less as drivers of the central plot.

Official Synopsis

Bruno, a misunderstood teenager, has developed an obsession with burning objects, recording them, and uploading videos to the internet to deal with his father’s death. When his lonely mother starts dating another man, Bruno escapes from home. He goes to another town to live with Daniela, a young pyromaniac he met online and with whom he has an epistolary relationship. During the painful separation from his mother and his best friend Ian, he begins to question his sexuality and capacity to overcome his father’s loss.

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