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Mom

Name: Mom
Director: Ravi Udyawar
Released: 2017
Duration: 147 min

Representation Score

5.4/10

Fair

2017

TV-MA

Director

Ravi Udyawar

Runtime

147 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Mom succeeds as a social drama by challenging traditional gender roles. By centering a woman’s control over the story, the film moves beyond the cliché of female passivity to offer a complex portrayal of authority. The film also provides a meaningful critique of institutional justice, exploring a more individualistic and situational approach to morality when the state fails to protect the vulnerable. However, the film lacks breadth in other areas of representation, offering little engagement with LGBTQ+ identities or disability perspectives.

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Category Breakdown

Does Mom have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film centers on a mother's response to sexual violence but does not include any visible LGBTQ+ characters or critiques of the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does Mom portray gender?

Good

The film challenges traditional gender roles by focusing on a female protagonist who plays a significant role in driving the story. She replaces the cliché of the helpless woman with a powerful, decisive figure.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Mom?

Fair

As a South Asian production, the film offers a non-Western perspective on justice. However, it does not blend different racial backgrounds explicitly, moving away from Anglo-Saxon storytelling norms.

How does Mom represent religion and culture?

Good

The story critiques formal institutions by showing a protagonist who bypasses legal structures. It validates a situational approach to morality when the state fails to protect the vulnerable.

Does Mom include disability representation?

Minimal

The film does not mention characters navigating physical, neurodivergent, or mental health disabilities within the narrative.

Present on Screen

Challenges the 'helpless woman' cliché by giving the female protagonist significant control and intellect.
Offers a non-Western perspective on justice and social morality through its South Asian lens.
Critiques the failure of formal judicial systems, providing a nuanced look at institutional inadequacy.

Limited or Absent

Lacks any visible representation or character arcs for the LGBTQ+ community.
Does not engage with characters navigating physical or neurodivergent disabilities.
The narrative focus is narrow, missing opportunities for broader storytelling that reflects multiple aspects of identity.

Official Synopsis

After her stepdaughter is sexually assaulted at a party, a furious mother sets out to destroy the lives of the four perpetrators who walked free.

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