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Good As New

Good As New

2020

Director

Evgeny Shelyakin

Runtime

90 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

Found unconscious and robbed on a beach in Thailand, 70-year old Xenophon only knows his own name because it was engraved on his old Soviet watch. He’s been left with no money and no identification…and he doesn’t speak a word of Thai. But Xenophon is a resourceful man. He begins to build a new life with friends and a new business, but there’s something disturbing in his past that he can only glimpse through his shattered memory. Is he really who he seems?

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Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

5.3/10

Fair

Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Fair

The film lacks explicit mention of LGBTQ+ characters or non-heteronormative dynamics. The story focuses primarily on the singular journey of the protagonist.

Gender Representation

Fair

The narrative centers on the agency of Xenophon, a 70-year-old man. There is little evidence regarding female characters or the subversion of traditional gender hierarchies.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Good

Setting the story in Thailand provides a cross-cultural engagement that avoids Western-centric tropes. The protagonist must navigate a non-Anglo-Saxon environment to build his new life.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Fair

The film explores identity reconstruction and the loss of Soviet identity within a Thai setting. This suggests a narrative that moves away from rigid nationalistic frameworks.

Disability Representation

Fair

Xenophon deals with shattered memory, indicating cognitive or neurological impairment. The story highlights his resourcefulness despite this impairment, though the nuance of this portrayal remains unclear.

Strengths

  • The Thai setting provides a refreshing, non-Western backdrop for the protagonist's journey.
  • The narrative avoids traditional Western-centric tropes by focusing on cross-cultural navigation.
  • The protagonist is portrayed with agency despite his cognitive impairments and memory loss.

Areas for Improvement

  • The film lacks representation of LGBTQ+ characters or diverse relationship dynamics.
  • The narrative architecture is heavily centered on a single male protagonist.
  • There is insufficient evidence of female characters in positions of power or agency.

AI Analysis

Good As New offers a character-driven look at identity through a displaced protagonist. By placing a Soviet-era man in Thailand, the film successfully disrupts standard Western-centric travel narratives, providing a moderate boost to racial and ethnic diversity. However, the film's focus is heavily concentrated on a singular male perspective. This narrow lens limits the potential for gender diversity and leaves the presence of LGBTQ+ representation entirely unaddressed. While the protagonist's memory loss introduces themes of neurodivergence, the narrative's depth in this area is not fully established. Overall, it is a nuanced study of displacement that lacks broader intersectional breadth.

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