You are here:

Paradise Lost?

Name: Paradise Lost?
Director: Jane Pollard, Iain Forsyth
Released: 2015
Duration: 9 min

Representation Score

6.0/10

Fair

2015

Director

Jane Pollard, Iain Forsyth

Runtime

9 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Paradise Lost? serves as a sophisticated deconstruction of the Western canon. By transposing John Milton’s epic poem into the brutalist architecture of London's Barbican, the film disrupts traditional hierarchies and religious sanctity. It replaces divine morality with a secular, urban atmosphere. The film's strength lies in its ability to challenge the dominance of classical literature through postmodern spatial storytelling. It moves away from period-specific structures toward a more contemporary reality. However, the work lacks explicit documentation regarding specific LGBTQ+ or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth identities. While the setting and genre suggest a departure from traditional norms, the specific identities of the cast remain unconfirmed.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Paradise Lost? have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film's experimental approach suggests a potential for challenging traditional heterosexual norms found in the original text. However, specific non-binary or transgender identities are not explicitly detailed.

How does Paradise Lost? portray gender?

Good

Reimagining Milton's themes through a modern lens allows for the reconfiguration of gendered power dynamics. This approach facilitates the challenge of traditional masculine authority.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Paradise Lost??

Fair

The Barbican's multicultural urban setting provides a backdrop for a diverse cast. This setting allows for casting that diverges from the original text's racial hierarchies.

How does Paradise Lost? represent religion and culture?

Good

The work deconstructs traditional religious sanctity by placing the narrative within a secular, brutalist environment. This shift prioritizes a postmodern critique of Western religious institutions.

Does Paradise Lost? include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no evidence regarding the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities in this work.

Present on Screen

Effectively deconstructs the Western canon by recontextualizing classical literature within a modern, secular urban environment.
Uses brutalist architecture to disrupt traditional narrative hierarchies and religious frameworks.
Offers a postmodern critique of classical Western structures through site-specific storytelling.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit evidence regarding the representation of specific LGBTQ+ or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth identities.
Provides no clear information regarding the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.
Specific details regarding racial and ethnic casting are not explicitly documented.

Official Synopsis

After discovering that John Milton is buried within London's Barbican grounds, Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard reimagined his epic poem ‘Paradise Lost’ as part of Doug Aitken's Station to Station project. The piece uses the architecture and atmosphere of the Barbican to update the story, which is told in three parts.

How are these scores produced? →