You are here:

Going and Coming Back

Name: Going and Coming Back
Director: Claude Lelouch
Released: 1985
Duration: 114 min

Representation Score

4.3/10

Fair

1985

Director

Claude Lelouch

Runtime

114 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Claude Lelouch’s drama primarily focuses on an intimate character study of memory and loss. While it does not offer the broad diversity seen in modern cinema, it successfully centers a female intellectual experience through Salomé Lerner. The film’s strength lies in its narrative structure, which uses art and music to challenge rigid historical documentation. However, the scope remains narrow, focusing on a specific European family history without broader racial or LGBTQ+ representation. Ultimately, the work provides a nuanced exploration of personal truth, even if it stays within a relatively traditional demographic framework.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Going and Coming Back have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film does not include explicit representations of LGBTQ+ identities or dynamics that challenge the assumption that everyone is straight. The story focuses on the search for a missing sibling and the impact of family loss, rather than exploring queer themes.

How does Going and Coming Back portray gender?

Fair

Salomé Lerner is a central female character who plays a significant role in driving the story. She demonstrates intellectual independence and initiative, providing a meaningful contrast to typical male-dominated war narratives.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Going and Coming Back?

Limited

The story seems to be set in a specific French context and revolves around a particular family history. There is no indication of a diverse cast or the use of racial metaphors.

How does Going and Coming Back represent religion and culture?

Fair

The film examines personal memories and the reconstruction of truth through music and personal accounts. It emphasizes individual perspectives over a single, state-approved version of history.

Does Going and Coming Back include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no information about the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities in the film.

Present on Screen

The film centers a female protagonist with significant intellectual independence and initiative.
The narrative prioritizes individual, subjective experiences over monolithic, institutionalized history.
The use of music and autobiography offers a lyrical approach to exploring complex human connections.

Limited or Absent

The film lacks visible representation of LGBTQ+ identities or queer character arcs.
The narrative focus is limited to a specific French family history, lacking multi-ethnic or racial diversity.
There is no indication of representation regarding physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Salomé Lerner just finished writing an autobiography. She goes to a TV show called "Apostrophes", hosted by French TV showman Bernard Pivot. Pivot then imagines a film that could be created from her gripping story. A film entirely made of music because after seeing the young pianist Erik Berchot, Salomé believes seeing her long lost brother, who was a musician as well. A brother she had lost along with her parents in 1943. However, the Lerners did in fact escape the gestapo and might have based themselves in Paris...

How are these scores produced? →