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The Secret World of Arrietty

Name: The Secret World of Arrietty
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Released: 2010
Duration: 94 min

Representation Score

6.0/10

Good

2010

Director

Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Runtime

94 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film stands out by placing a resourceful female lead at its center, challenging traditional gender roles. It also provides a nuanced critique of consumerist culture through the lens of the Borrower subculture. However, the film lacks explicit LGBTQ+ characters and multi-ethnic diversity, staying within a culturally specific setting. While the Borrowers serve as a metaphor for underrepresented groups, the cast itself lacks racial variety. Overall, the work successfully challenges human-centric views by validating the survival strategies of a hidden, non-dominant group, giving them complex moral depth.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Secret World of Arrietty have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include LGBTQ+ characters or explore non-straight relationships. The main relationship between Arrietty and Sho is based on curiosity and friendship without addressing sexual orientation.

How does The Secret World of Arrietty portray gender?

Good

Arrietty is a strong female lead who drives the story with her resilience and independence. She avoids the damsel in distress cliché and takes charge of her own survival.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Secret World of Arrietty?

Fair

The film is set in a culturally specific, homogeneous Japanese environment. It does not showcase diverse racial backgrounds but uses the Borrower subculture as a metaphor for underrepresented groups.

How does The Secret World of Arrietty represent religion and culture?

Good

The movie critiques consumerism by showing Borrowers repurposing discarded human objects. This highlights a sustainable relationship with the environment compared to the wasteful dominant human society.

Does The Secret World of Arrietty include disability representation?

Fair

Sho is shown with physical frailty and a focus on mortality. The film handles his condition with nuance, emphasizing his emotional state rather than relying on pity.

Present on Screen

Strong female lead with resourcefulness and independence.
Nuanced portrayal of physical frailty and mortality in Sho.
Sophisticated critique of consumerist culture and environmental sustainability.

Limited or Absent

Lack of explicit LGBTQ+ characters or exploration of non-straight relationships.
Limited racial and ethnic diversity within the established setting.
No active engagement with racial the way different parts of someone's identity overlap.

Official Synopsis

14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items "borrowed" from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.

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