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The Last Turning

Name: The Last Turning
Director: Pierre Chenal
Released: 1939
Duration: 90 min

Representation Score

3.9/10

Limited

1939

Director

Pierre Chenal

Runtime

90 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Pierre Chenal’s work explores the fringes of society, often focusing on those on the margins and moral ambiguity. This film uses poetic realism to examine the tension between personal desires and societal structures through a crime-driven lens. While the film lacks racial and LGBTQ+ diversity, it excels in subverting gendered power dynamics. The central conflict is driven by the female protagonist rather than traditional male leadership. Ultimately, the film reflects the demographic homogeneity of its era while deconstructing traditional social roles and morality.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Last Turning have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses on a traditional romantic triangle involving a husband, wife, and a lover. It does not depict any queer identities or non-straight relationships.

How does The Last Turning portray gender?

Good

Cora challenges traditional domestic roles by taking an active role in driving the plot through manipulation. She disrupts the usual male-dominated hierarchy and male stability.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Last Turning?

Minimal

The story centers around a homogeneous social group typical of 1939 French cinema. There is no evidence of diverse racial or ethnic identities.

How does The Last Turning represent religion and culture?

Fair

The film critiques the sanctity of the nuclear family through themes of betrayal and crime. It offers a realistic, cynical view of human impulses over idealized values.

Does The Last Turning include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no mention of characters with visible or invisible disabilities. No assessment of neurodivergence or physical impairment is possible.

Present on Screen

Highlights the female lead as the primary driver of conflict.
Explores complex moral ambiguity and the deconstruction of traditional social roles.
Offers a realistic, cynical critique of the sanctity of the nuclear family.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight relationships.
Reflects the era's standard demographic homogeneity with no racial diversity.
Provides no insight into the representation of disabilities or neurodivergence.

Official Synopsis

Frank, a hobo, ends up in a garage-truck stop in the middle of nowhere. Nick Marino, its older, kind and naive owner, is married to Cora, a sexy and mercenary woman half his age. Frank, although not a fan of hard work, accepts Nick's offer to work for him. Of course, it is not for Nick's sake that the young man becomes his attendant, but for the love of Cora under whose spell he has fallen at once. It does not take long before Cora, who despises her husband, asks her lover to help her get rid of him. Frank is reluctant at first but ...

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