You are here:

The House of Smiles

Name: The House of Smiles
Director: Marco Ferreri
Released: 1991
Duration: 110 min

Representation Score

7.7/10

Good

1991

Director

Marco Ferreri

Runtime

110 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Marco Ferreri’s film serves as a critique of social structures, using its narrative structure to dismantle institutional authority and prioritize personal desires over rigid social norms. While it lacks visible markers of diversity such as varied racial casting or explicit LGBTQ+ narratives, it challenges traditional hierarchies of age. The film employs the absurdity of a retirement home to highlight the struggle for human connection against a restrictive system.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does The House of Smiles have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film focuses on a romantic relationship between two elderly characters but does not explicitly address non-straight identities or challenge assumptions about heterosexual relationships.

How does The House of Smiles portray gender?

Good

It disrupts traditional gender roles by emphasizing personal autonomy during aging, avoiding clichés of submissive femininity or patriarchal dominance.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The House of Smiles?

Limited

The film seems to lack significant racial or ethnic diversity among its main characters, focusing instead on a more homogenous European demographic.

How does The House of Smiles represent religion and culture?

Good

It critiques Western institutions by using a retirement home as a metaphor for oppressive social structures, prioritizing individual existential truth over institutional morality.

Does The House of Smiles include disability representation?

Fair

The film portrays aging characters as complex individuals with ability to act, navigating the challenges of physical decline in a retirement home.

Present on Screen

Emphasizes personal autonomy over traditional gender roles.
Avoids common clichés related to aging and disability.
Strongly critiques Western institutions and oppressive social structures.

Limited or Absent

Lacks significant racial and ethnic diversity among main characters.
Does not include explicit representation of non-straight gender identities or LGBTQ+ narratives.
Focuses on a relatively homogenous demographic typical of its era and genre.

Official Synopsis

A septuagenarian couple are attracted to each other in a retirement home but find the institution and their fellow patients frown on their relationship.

How are these scores produced? →