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Vice

Name: Vice
Director: Valery Todorovsky
Released: 2007
Duration: 124 min

Representation Score

4.9/10

Fair

2007

Director

Valery Todorovsky

Runtime

124 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Vice is a gritty social drama that captures a specific moment of urban transition in Moscow. It succeeds in deconstructing traditional morality by focusing on a fractured, disillusioned youth culture. However, the film lacks an intentional approach to reflecting multiple aspects of identity. The narrative remains tethered to a homogeneous demographic profile and a conventional focus on male-driven criminality. Ultimately, while the film explores social fragmentation, it does not provide significant representation for underrepresented or excluded identities or diverse lived experiences.

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Category Breakdown

Does Vice have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film explores the fluid social lives of Moscow's urban youth through various romantic entanglements. However, it lacks focused LGBTQ+ identities or narratives that challenge the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does Vice portray gender?

Fair

While traditional hierarchies are somewhat destabilized by shared vices, the story remains centered on a male protagonist's criminal descent. Women appear within social circles but rarely take a leading role in driving the story.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Vice?

Limited

The cast is predominantly homogeneous, reflecting the specific demographic reality of mid-2000s Moscow. There is no evidence of intentional efforts to include diverse ethnic backgrounds.

How does Vice represent religion and culture?

Fair

The narrative captures youth disillusionment and a disregard for traditional societal structures. It emphasizes moral relativism and a disconnect from institutional values through the lens of survival.

Does Vice include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no discernible focus on physical, sensory, or neurodivergent representation. Characters are defined by socioeconomic and psychological struggles rather than disability-centric narratives.

Present on Screen

Deconstructs traditional moral frameworks through a naturalistic lens.
Effectively captures the psychological complexities of urban youth disillusionment.
Provides a realistic portrayal of social fragmentation and moral relativism.

Limited or Absent

Lacks focused LGBTQ+ identities or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth narratives.
The narrative architecture remains heavily centered on male-driven storylines.
The cast lacks ethnic and racial diversity, reflecting a very narrow demographic.

Official Synopsis

The film follows Denis, a young aspiring DJ who, although poor, has everything else in his favor: a calling in life as a musician, good friends and a faithful companion. Denis's fall from grace begins with a drug deal, which he agrees to out of the need for money. The decision leads to deadly consequences for almost everyone else around him, as Denis is subsequently forced to work as a drug dealer for a mafia boss and as an informer for the police chief of his city. Despite his attempts to “work off his sins”, Denis cannot escape the world of drugs and violence...

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