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The Rift

Name: The Rift
Director: Robert Kouba
Released: 2012
Duration: 26 min

Representation Score

1.3/10

Minimal

2012

PG-13

Director

Robert Kouba

Runtime

26 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film focuses on the tension of cosmic surveillance and scientific mystery rather than exploring identity or social hierarchies. While a Russian physicist adds some international flavor, the overall narrative remains within a traditional, homogeneous context. The film adheres to established genre expectations without challenging familiar cinematic clichés or providing meaningful characters who reflect more than one aspect of diversity.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Rift have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or stories about non-straight identities. The plot centers on cosmic mysteries and scientific intrigue.

How does The Rift portray gender?

Limited

The story follows typical genre conventions with male scientists and a male protagonist, reinforcing traditional masculine leadership roles.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Rift?

Fair

A Russian physicist adds some international flavor to the backstory. However, the Midwest setting and protagonist suggest a largely homogeneous demographic.

How does The Rift represent religion and culture?

Limited

The plot follows a standard Western sci-fi storyline, avoiding direct critiques of Western institutions or traditional societal structures.

Does The Rift include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no characters with visible or invisible disabilities, nor any neurodivergence or mental health conditions that influence the plot.

Present on Screen

The inclusion of a Russian physicist introduces a non-Western element to the backstory.

Limited or Absent

The film lacks meaningful representation of LGBTQ+ identities or neurodivergent characters.
The narrative relies heavily on traditional masculine protagonists and standard Western sci-fi clichés.
The setting and character focus default to a homogeneous demographic without significant cultural deconstruction.

Official Synopsis

Since a few decades they were watching us. Studying us. What are they? Nobody knows. Nobody but Ivan Petrenko Karkarov. The Russian physicist started to study a phenomenon which was occurring since several decades. In 1982 he found an answer to the strange phenomenon but before he could tell anyone he mysteriously vanished. 30 years later, in Newell Iowa, Dean Hollister seems to be a normal guy until strange radar anomalies appear throughout the world. All of a sudden something starts to happen at the sky, black rifts appear. Behind those rifts something is moving. It's watching us.

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