You are here:

A Good Wife

Name: A Good Wife
Director: Mirjana Karanović
Released: 2016
Duration: 90 min

Representation Score

8.1/10

Excellent

2016

Director

Mirjana Karanović

Runtime

90 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Mirjana Karanović’s debut is a socially realistic film that challenges traditional social structures. It excels in its examination of gender power dynamics, turning a domestic story into a critique of patriarchal authority and systemic violence. The film offers a nuanced view of ethnic identity and the collapse of institutional justice in a post-war Balkan setting. It avoids simple moral solutions by focusing on complex systemic issues. However, the film’s scope is limited when it comes to LGBTQ+ characters or non-straight relationships and specific physical or cognitive disabilities. While it touches on psychological trauma, it doesn’t delve deeply into specific disability studies.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does A Good Wife have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film doesn't include any LGBTQ+ characters or non-straight relationships. Its focus is on the aftermath of ethnic conflict and family life.

How does A Good Wife portray gender?

Excellent

Esma emerges as a strong force for moral justice, challenging traditional male dominance. She transitions from being invisible in her home to becoming a key figure in seeking truth and fairness.

How racially and ethnically diverse is A Good Wife?

Good

Set in post-war Bosnia, the film uses a local cast to explore how ethnic identity can be used as a weapon. It avoids Western stereotypes by grounding its characters in regional experiences.

How does A Good Wife represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film critiques nationalist ideologies and the failure of government systems to deliver justice. It looks at how social cohesion breaks down in a society recovering from conflict.

Does A Good Wife include disability representation?

Fair

The film explores hidden psychological wounds and the mental health issues stemming from systemic trauma. These themes extend the war narrative but don’t focus on specific disabilities.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional gender roles by making the female lead a central force for justice.
Provides a detailed, non-generic exploration of Balkan ethnic identity and regional history.
Offers a critical look at nationalist and patriarchal frameworks that shape post-conflict societies.

Limited or Absent

Doesn't include any LGBTQ+ characters or non-straight relationships in the main storyline.
Focuses on psychological trauma as a theme rather than studying specific disabilities.

Official Synopsis

When 50-year-old Milena finds out about the terrible past of her seemingly ideal husband, while simultaneously learning of her own cancer diagnosis, she begins an awakening from the suburban paradise she has been living in.

How are these scores produced? →