The story focuses entirely on heteronormative romance. It lacks any depiction of queer identities or same-sex intimacy within its stylized social world.

Women like Rosemary Cross possess agency and complexity beyond simple tropes. However, the narrative remains heavily driven by male perspectives and interactions.

The private academy setting is depicted through a predominantly white, upper-class lens. There is a notable lack of racial or ethnic diversity among the students.

The film critiques traditional Western institutions like the nuclear family and formal education. It embraces moral relativism and unconventional, socially ambiguous bonds.

Max Fischer exhibits intense, obsessive, and idiosyncratic behaviors. These are framed as eccentric genius rather than through a lens of clinical disability.