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The Thoughts That Once We Had

Name: The Thoughts That Once We Had
Director: Thom Andersen
Released: 2015
Duration: 100 min

Representation Score

5.8/10

Fair

2015

Director

Thom Andersen

Runtime

100 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Thom Andersen’s essay film serves as a meta-commentary on the history of the moving image. Instead of relying on traditional character clichés, it employs a Deleuzian framework to examine how media shapes social perception and historical memory. The film's strength lies in its intellectual deconstruction of the Hollywood studio system and its visual language. It challenges viewers to move beyond passive consumption by analyzing the systemic structures that influence how identity is visualized. However, due to its theoretical and non-linear nature, the film lacks the character-driven roles necessary for high scores in specific identity categories. It prioritizes semiotic exploration over direct representations of underrepresented groups.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Thoughts That Once We Had have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film focuses on theoretical studies of cinema rather than providing a narrative drama. There is no clear evidence of queer-coded narratives.

How does The Thoughts That Once We Had portray gender?

Fair

The work aims to deconstruct traditional gender hierarchies using Deleuzian theory. However, the lack of character-driven roles limits its representation of gender.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Thoughts That Once We Had?

Good

The film likely addresses the exclusion of non-white perspectives in classical cinema. The director's history indicates a commitment to examining how Hollywood sidelines racial and ethnic identities.

How does The Thoughts That Once We Had represent religion and culture?

Good

It disrupts conventional Western narrative structures by prioritizing philosophical inquiry over linear progression. The film emphasizes a complex, subjective understanding of time, memory, and images.

Does The Thoughts That Once We Had include disability representation?

Minimal

There is insufficient evidence to determine the presence of characters or themes related to physical or neurodivergent conditions within this theoretical essay film.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional storytelling hierarchies through a sophisticated, deconstructive approach.
Critiques systemic structures and biases inherent in Hollywood's visual language.
Disrupts conventional Western narrative structures by emphasizing philosophical inquiry over linear progression.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit, character-driven representation of specific identity groups.
The theoretical nature of the film limits the visibility of neurodivergent or physical conditions.
Focuses more on cinematic theory than on direct depictions of diverse lived experiences.

Official Synopsis

One of America’s foremost practitioners of the essay film presents a major new work inspired by the writings of Gilles Deleuze on cinema. Andersen’s The Thoughts That Once We Had is a richly layered journey through cinematic history, masterfully edited as it playfully moves across decades and genres, and suffused at every turn by the renowned filmmaker and critic’s lifelong passion for the movies.

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