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A Male

Name: A Male
Director: Fabian Hernández
Released: 2023
Duration: 82 min

Representation Score

6.9/10

Good

2023

Director

Fabian Hernández

Runtime

82 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

A Male is a character-driven drama that critiques performative masculinity. By placing Carlos in a strict Bogotá boarding school, the film highlights the tension between societal gender expectations and personal authenticity. The story effectively deconstructs traditional masculine archetypes, presenting them as masks that suppress individuality. This focus on psychological interiority makes the struggle for identity the central narrative driver. While the film offers a strong Latin American perspective, its focus remains primarily on internal identity exploration rather than broader racial or ethnic dynamics.

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Category Breakdown

Does A Male have LGBTQ+ representation?

Excellent

The film focuses on Carlos's exploration of his sexual identity and his rejection of societal expectations that assume everyone is straight. It gives significant importance to Carlos's journey as he navigates his true self against social pressures.

How does A Male portray gender?

Excellent

By showing the male stereotype as a restrictive performance, the film challenges traditional gender roles. It emphasizes a nuanced understanding of gender through Carlos's sensitivity and vulnerability.

How racially and ethnically diverse is A Male?

Good

Set in Bogotá, the story provides a localized Latin American perspective. This setting offers a break from Western-centric coming-of-age stories by highlighting specific regional pressures.

How does A Male represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The narrative critiques traditional social structures and institutional conformity. It highlights the protagonist's internal truth over the rigid expectations found in the boarding school environment.

Does A Male include disability representation?

Minimal

The film does not explicitly mention physical or neurodivergent disabilities in the provided narrative details.

Present on Screen

Strong challenge to traditional gender hierarchies and masculine archetypes.
Significant role given to the protagonist during his sexual identity exploration.
Provides a localized, non-Anglo-Saxon perspective on the coming-of-age genre.

Limited or Absent

Limited focus on racial and ethnic diversity beyond the Colombian setting.
No representation of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Carlos lives in a boarding school in the centre of Bogotá and longs to spend Christmas with his family. The circumstances around him force him to assume the male stereotype, in open contradiction to his true being. In private, Carlos acknowledges his sensitivity, his fragility and moves towards other forms of masculinity. At his 16 years of age, Carlos explores his sexual identity, discovers his fears, his desires, and all the things that real men never show.

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