You are here:

A Dragon Arrives!

Name: A Dragon Arrives!
Director: Mani Haghighi
Released: 2016
Duration: 107 min

Representation Score

7.8/10

Good

2016

Director

Mani Haghighi

Runtime

107 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Mani Haghighi’s work is a sophisticated piece of political surrealism that prioritizes intellectual and systemic critique over demographic variety. It succeeds in challenging Western-centric historical narratives by centering on Iranian political history. While the film lacks explicit representation for LGBTQ+ identities or physical disabilities, it excels in cultural depth. The narrative uses psychological fragmentation and mystery to dismantle conventional perceptions of authority and state stability. Ultimately, the film's value lies in its exploration of individual memory versus state power, offering a complex, morally relativistic view of institutional oppression.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does A Dragon Arrives! have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses on political imprisonment and state surveillance. There are no visible LGBTQ+ character arcs or depictions of same-sex intimacy.

How does A Dragon Arrives! portray gender?

Fair

The story centers on male-dominated institutions such as the police force and political prisoners. It disrupts traditional masculinity by showing psychological instability among characters.

How racially and ethnically diverse is A Dragon Arrives!?

Good

Set during the 1965 Iranian political upheaval, the film provides a non-Western perspective. It avoids the Western viewpoint by focusing on local history and internal state dynamics.

How does A Dragon Arrives! represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film offers a complex critique of state power and institutional oppression. It uses literary quotes and symbols to prioritize personal truth over state-sanctioned morality.

Does A Dragon Arrives! include disability representation?

Fair

The story explores profound psychological distress and the mental toll of banishment. Mental health struggles appear to function as mystery elements rather than lived-experience representation.

Present on Screen

Provides a strong non-Western perspective by centering on Iranian political history.
Offers a sophisticated critique of state power and institutional oppression.
Challenges Western-centric historical narratives through its unique cultural lens.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or character arcs.
Psychological distress is used as a narrative device rather than lived-experience representation.
The narrative focus remains heavily centered on male-dominated institutional structures.

Official Synopsis

On Jan. 22, 1965, the day before the Iranian prime minister is assassinated, a car drives up to a shipwreck. Inside the wreck, a banished political prisoner has hung himself and the walls are covered in diary entries, literary quotes, and strange symbols. Fifty years later, the evidence, including intelligence tape recordings, is found in a box. The contents attest to the fact that the inspector and his colleagues were arrested, but why?

How are these scores produced? →