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Oscar Arias: Without a Shot Fired

Name: Oscar Arias: Without a Shot Fired
Director: Dawn Gifford Engle
Released: 2017
Duration: 64 min

Representation Score

5.1/10

Fair

2017

TV-14

Director

Dawn Gifford Engle

Runtime

64 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The documentary shifts the historical focus from traditional superpowers to a Central American perspective. By highlighting Oscar Arias, it challenges the dominance of Western military institutions and provides a new narrative that disrupts Eurocentric history. However, the film remains tied to conventional historical frameworks regarding gender and identity. The focus on male-dominated political spheres and the lack of LGBTQ+ narratives limit its depth. Ultimately, the film's strength lies in its critique of state violence and its promotion of a pacifist model of international relations.

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Category Breakdown

Does Oscar Arias: Without a Shot Fired have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses on Cold War geopolitics and the diplomatic efforts of Oscar Arias. It does not include any narratives or character arcs related to LGBTQ+ identities.

How does Oscar Arias: Without a Shot Fired portray gender?

Fair

The narrative centers on male political figures such as Arias, Reagan, and Gorbachev. Female involvement in the diplomatic process is limited.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Oscar Arias: Without a Shot Fired?

Good

The documentary highlights a Central American leader, placing him at the center of global diplomacy. It challenges Eurocentric historical narratives by focusing on a Global South perspective.

How does Oscar Arias: Without a Shot Fired represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film criticizes Western military-industrial complexes and traditional views of national defense. It promotes a pacifist worldview and the importance of reason in international relations.

Does Oscar Arias: Without a Shot Fired include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no focus on physical or neurodivergent disabilities in the narrative.

Present on Screen

Highlights a Central American leader as a key figure in global diplomacy.
Challenges Eurocentric historical narratives by emphasizing the Global South.
Critiques traditional Western military-industrial complexes.

Limited or Absent

Limited visibility for female involvement in the diplomatic process.
No representation or narrative focus for LGBTQ+ identities.
No focus on physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

This is the story of a tiny country that made a decision to do something that no other country had ever done -- it decided to abolish its army and declare peace to the world. And this is the story of a young boy who grew up in that country, and how he ended up challenging -- and sometimes even convincing -- the greatest powers in the world to follow Costa Rica's example. "Oscar Arias: Without a Shot Fired" is a Don Quixote-like saga with great historical touchstones -- Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, Cold War politics and Communism, Central American War and Peace. It follows a slight, academic, and most unlikely hero over the course of more than fifty years, as he travels the world in a quest to stop the spread of the weapons of war. In the end, it is a story about the triumph of reason, of the sparrow triumphing over the eagle, and how the impossible dream can sometimes come true.

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