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Where I've Never Lived

Name: Where I've Never Lived
Director: Paolo Franchi
Released: 2017
Duration: 107 min

Representation Score

4.8/10

Fair

2017

Director

Paolo Franchi

Runtime

107 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Paolo Franchi’s character study succeeds in challenging traditional gender roles by focusing on a female professional’s journey toward self-actualization. The film moves beyond the stereotype of the submissive wife, presenting Francesca as the primary driver of her own life. By showing a non-monogamous relationship as stable and functional, the film avoids the common pitfall of depicting such relationships as inherently problematic. However, the film’s reach is limited by its narrow focus on a culturally homogeneous European demographic, lacking a broader racial and ethnic perspective.

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Category Breakdown

Does Where I've Never Lived have LGBTQ+ representation?

Good

The film showcases a stable, non-monogamous relationship between Massimo and Sandra, avoiding the usual tragic portrayal. This relationship highlights modern interpersonal connections in a positive light.

How does Where I've Never Lived portray gender?

Good

Francesca is a professional architect who drives the narrative through her own actions and decisions. The story challenges traditional domestic roles by emphasizing her intellectual autonomy and emotional authenticity.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Where I've Never Lived?

Limited

The film focuses on European settings such as Turin and Paris, which have a culturally homogeneous population. The main social circles do not include significant racial or ethnic diversity.

How does Where I've Never Lived represent religion and culture?

Fair

The narrative breaks down the traditional nuclear family structure by prioritizing individual desires over institutional stability. It explores the flexible nature of personal identity and professional passion.

Does Where I've Never Lived include disability representation?

Minimal

An elderly father becomes bedridden due to an accident, serving as a plot catalyst. However, there is no deeper exploration of his condition or disability.

Present on Screen

Highlights women's ability to drive the story and professional independence.
Provides a positive depiction of non-monogamous relationships.
Challenges traditional domestic and marital stereotypes.

Limited or Absent

Inclusion of more racial and ethnic diversity among the main characters.
More in-depth exploration of disability beyond using it as a plot device.
Expanding the cultural scope to include a wider range of backgrounds.

Official Synopsis

Where I've never been to live, Francesca's emotional conflicts, 50, is the only daughter of a famous Turin architect, to whom she visits only on rare occasions. For many years, Francesca lives in Paris with her teenage daughter and her husband Benoît, a financier on her sixty, apparently reserved but paternal and protective about her. Due to a domestic accident that forces the elderly father to bed, the woman flees to Turin to take her parents in the design of a villa on a lake for a young couple. At work he meets architect Massimo, his peer-minded career and engaged in an open relationship with independent Sandra. After a tough first approach, Massimo and Francesca create a strong professional tune that leads to a deep and passionate feeling. For the first time in life, both will have to really confront themselves and their most authentic destinies ...

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