You are here:

The Assault

Name: The Assault
Director: Fons Rademakers
Released: 1986
Duration: 144 min

Representation Score

3.9/10

Limited

1986

Director

Fons Rademakers

Runtime

144 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The Assault is a period-specific drama that prioritizes historical realism and psychological depth over modern demographic representation. It focuses on the trauma and memory erosion caused by the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. While the film lacks diversity in terms of race and LGBTQ+ identities, it succeeds in its nuanced portrayal of mental health. The narrative deconstructs the idea of an 'ordered' family and avoids a sanitized, patriotic view of war. Ultimately, the film's value lies in its refusal to provide easy answers, instead presenting a fragmented, subjective truth regarding survival and systemic collapse.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does The Assault have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film adheres to a traditional framework that assumes everyone is straight and cisgender. There are no depictions of LGBTQ+ identities or themes.

How does The Assault portray gender?

Fair

Women are shown as victims of systemic violence and vulnerability during the German assault. The film does not actively challenge gender hierarchies through female-driven narratives.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Assault?

Limited

The cast is a homogeneous European group, reflecting the specific demographic reality of the 1940s Netherlands. There is no intentional blending of diverse backgrounds.

How does The Assault represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative critiques the stability of Western institutions by focusing on psychological fragmentation. It avoids heroic clichés, opting for a complex, postmodern view of morality.

Does The Assault include disability representation?

Fair

The film provides a profound depiction of invisible disability through the lens of PTSD. The protagonist's psychological trauma serves as a central narrative driver.

Present on Screen

Provides a sophisticated and nuanced portrayal of psychological trauma and PTSD.
Challenges conventional war movie clichés by focusing on moral complexity rather than heroism.
Offers a realistic, non-sanitized depiction of how occupation destroys social and family stability.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisgender narratives.
Maintains a homogeneous European cast with minimal racial or ethnic diversity.
Portrays women primarily as victims of violence rather than agents of change.

Official Synopsis

At the end of WWII the Dutch resistance kills a German officer in front of the house of a Dutch family. Years after the war the young boy who witnessed the killing runs into the members of the resistance who committed the killing.

How are these scores produced? →