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The Midas Touch

Name: The Midas Touch
Director: Peter Manoogian
Released: 1997
Duration: 83 min

1997

Director

Peter Manoogian

Runtime

83 minutes

Average Rating

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Synopsis

Drama about a 12-year-old boy who fantasises about having enough money to be able to cure his grandmother's serious heart condition. When he finds himself in a haunted house, the mysterious owner 'grants' him one wish - the Midas touch. The boy soon learns that it is more of a curse than a blessing when everything he touches turns into gold.

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Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

2.8/10

Limited

Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Minimal

The film lacks any visible queer narratives or non-cisnormative identities. It focuses strictly on a traditional heteronormative family structure.

Gender Representation

Fair

The story centers on a male protagonist following a classic hero's journey. While a grandmother provides emotional stakes, her role is defined by vulnerability rather than agency.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Limited

The narrative appears to center on a homogeneous family unit. There is no indication of a diverse or non-Anglo-Saxon majority cast.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Limited

The film functions as a moral fable reinforcing Western values and capitalist frameworks. It uses wealth as a tool for preservation within a standard ethical structure.

Disability Representation

Limited

A serious heart condition drives the plot, but it serves as a narrative device rather than a nuanced exploration of lived experience. The illness acts primarily as a motivator.

Strengths

Explores universal themes of familial devotion and the moral consequences of greed.
Provides a clear, accessible moral fable structure for family audiences.

Areas for Improvement

Lacks intersectional complexity and diverse representation of gender, race, and sexuality.
Uses disability and illness primarily as plot devices rather than nuanced character studies.
Relies on traditional, homogeneous storytelling tropes that lack cultural breadth.

AI Analysis

The Midas Touch operates as a conventional moral fable, prioritizing classical storytelling over social disruption. Its narrative architecture relies on traditional archetypes, such as the young male hero and the vulnerable elder, which reinforces established social hierarchies. While the film explores themes of familial devotion and the consequences of greed, it lacks intersectional complexity. The characters and conflicts are framed through a standard Western lens, offering little representation of diverse identities or systemic critiques. Ultimately, the production adheres to the predictable tropes of its era and genre, focusing on a homogeneous family unit and using medical conditions as mere plot catalysts.

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