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Arabic Numeral Series 12

Name: Arabic Numeral Series 12
Director: Stan Brakhage
Released: 1981
Duration: 18 min

Representation Score

0.0/10

Minimal

1981

Director

Stan Brakhage

Runtime

18 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Stan Brakhage’s *Arabic Numeral Series 12* is a work of pure formalist abstraction. It prioritizes sensory experience and rhythmic light over traditional cinematic grammar or narrative structure. Since the film eschews representational imagery, it lacks the tools—such as character actions or dialogue—needed to address identity. It does not engage in sociopolitical storytelling or the subversion of identity-based clichés. Ultimately, the film exists outside the human social contract, focusing on unidentifiable shapes and oceans of darkness rather than human subjects.

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Category Breakdown

Does Arabic Numeral Series 12 have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film contains no characters or interpersonal dynamics. Since it focuses solely on abstract visuals, it does not depict any sexual orientation or gender identity.

How does Arabic Numeral Series 12 portray gender?

Minimal

This work operates entirely outside human representation. Without human subjects, it does not engage with gender hierarchies or roles.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Arabic Numeral Series 12?

Minimal

The film utilizes blurry visual fields and shifting shapes rather than representational imagery. Therefore, it does not feature any racial or ethnic casting.

How does Arabic Numeral Series 12 represent religion and culture?

Minimal

The film bypasses cultural, religious, or political frameworks through a focus on light and rhythm. It avoids promoting any specific institutional identity.

Does Arabic Numeral Series 12 include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no depictions of neurodivergence or physical ability. The focus remains on the mechanics of light rather than lived human experiences.

Present on Screen

The film disrupts mainstream visual hierarchies by rejecting the standard Hollywood gaze.
It provides a radical departure from traditional narrative structures through pure sensory experience.

Limited or Absent

The abstract nature of the work prevents any engagement with identity-based representation.
The lack of human subjects means the film cannot address or subvert social hierarchies.

Official Synopsis

This is the twelfth film in the twenty-part Arabics series. Brakhage creates blurry visual fields that are profoundly without ground, worlds of unidentifiable, ever-shifting shapes, and oceans of light and darkness.

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