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Kraken. The Black Book of Hours

Name: Kraken. The Black Book of Hours
Director: Manuel Sanabria, Joaquín Llamas
Released: 2026

Representation Score

2.7/10

Limited

2026

Director

Manuel Sanabria, Joaquín Llamas

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film’s diversity profile is constrained by its narrow casting and conventional narrative priorities. Mencía Madariaga stands out as a meaningful inclusion: an albino officer with real investigative authority, not a decorative presence. Female characters share the workload and avoid total sidelining, yet the story still orbits a male protagonist. Racial and ethnic diversity are virtually absent. The Madrid and Vitoria-Gasteiz settings are populated by white Spanish actors, with no visible cross-cultural representation. LGBTQ+ identities are entirely missing, and the emotional core rests on traditional family loyalty and maternal rescue. These elements combine into a low overall score. The film offers a few concrete steps forward in disability and gender representation but remains firmly within a narrow, mainstream Spanish procedural mold.

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Category Breakdown

Does Kraken. The Black Book of Hours have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

No LGBTQ+ characters appear or are identified. The narrative centers on heterosexual family ties and professional partnerships, leaving queer identities entirely absent from the story.

How does Kraken. The Black Book of Hours portray gender?

Fair

Female detectives Esti and Mencía hold real authority and drive the investigation alongside the male lead. Yet Unai remains the central hero, keeping the perspective firmly male-led.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Kraken. The Black Book of Hours?

Minimal

The cast is overwhelmingly white and Spanish. The Madrid and Vitoria-Gasteiz settings show no visible racial diversity or cross-cultural casting, reinforcing a narrow demographic frame.

How does Kraken. The Black Book of Hours represent religion and culture?

Limited

The plot leans on traditional family loyalty, with the hero risking everything to save his mother. Police institutions are framed as the primary, unquestioned force of justice.

Does Kraken. The Black Book of Hours include disability representation?

Fair

Mencía Madariaga is explicitly portrayed as an albino police officer. She functions as an active investigator with professional agency, not as a background figure or symbolic token.

Present on Screen

Mencía Madariaga offers visible disability representation as an albino police officer with real investigative authority.
Female detectives Esti and Mencía actively drive the plot rather than serving as decorative or purely supportive roles.

Limited or Absent

The cast lacks racial and ethnic diversity, presenting an almost entirely white Spanish ensemble across key roles.
No LGBTQ+ characters or relationships appear, leaving queer identities completely absent from the narrative world.

Official Synopsis

Unai López de Ayala must immerse himself in the world of art collecting and forgery in order to find the legendary Black Book of Hours and save his mother, whom he had long believed to be dead

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