You are here:

Italian Studies

Name: Italian Studies
Director: Adam Leon
Released: 2022
Duration: 81 min

Representation Score

7.6/10

Good

2022

Director

Adam Leon

Runtime

81 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Italian Studies is a character-driven exploration of identity and cognitive vulnerability. It prioritizes the internal complexity of its protagonist over overt political or identity-based messaging, aligning with progressive cinematic traditions. The film succeeds in deconstructing the stable persona through a nuanced portrayal of memory loss. By focusing on the subjective experience of disorientation, it moves away from traditional, structured hierarchies. However, the narrative's intense focus on the protagonist's internal state limits the visibility of other identities. While the urban settings offer a diverse backdrop, the film lacks explicit representation of race or queer ability to act.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Italian Studies have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film showcases diverse social circles, including a party in Shoreditch, indicating a broad social landscape. However, it does not explicitly highlight queer-coded ability to act or directly critique straight-centered assumptions.

How does Italian Studies portray gender?

Good

A female protagonist is placed in a position of absolute vulnerability and intellectual struggle. The narrative avoids traditional gender clichés, focusing instead on the raw, unvarnished experience of a woman navigating disorientation.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Italian Studies?

Fair

The cosmopolitan settings of London and New York provide a diverse urban backdrop. However, the narrative remains tightly focused on the protagonist's internal psychological state rather than racial ability to act.

How does Italian Studies represent religion and culture?

Fair

The story explores postmodern themes of truth and memory by centering on amnesia. It portrays Manhattan as a labyrinthine, indifferent entity that challenges the stability of the self.

Does Italian Studies include disability representation?

Good

Amnesia is treated as an immersive, existential journey rather than a mere plot device. The film avoids 'inspiration porn' by focusing on the character's struggle to reconstruct her identity.

Present on Screen

Provides a nuanced, non-exploitative look at cognitive disabilities through the lens of amnesia.
Disrupts gender clichés by focusing on a female protagonist's raw vulnerability and intellectual struggle.
Uses a postmodern narrative structure to explore the fragmentation of identity and memory.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of queer-coded ability to act or engagement with non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth identities.
Provides insufficient evidence of characters of color being granted significant narrative ability to act.
The tight focus on internal psychology limits the exploration of broader social and racial dynamics.

Official Synopsis

A mysterious woman wanders the streets of Manhattan in a confused state. Finding herself inexplicably drawn to a group of teenagers she embarks on an adventure with them through the cityscape and into the unknown. As the night progresses, she approaches something intangible on the journey back to herself.

How are these scores produced? →