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The First Star

Name: The First Star
Director: Lucien Jean-Baptiste
Released: 2009
Duration: 90 min

Representation Score

5.7/10

Fair

2009

Director

Lucien Jean-Baptiste

Runtime

90 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film succeeds as a social comedy that disrupts conventional French cinematic norms. It integrates racial and socioeconomic identity into the core of its character-driven storytelling, moving beyond including someone from a minority group without giving them real depth. However, the film remains anchored in a traditional family unit, limiting its exploration of non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth identities. While it subverts some gender clichés by empowering the female protagonist, the scope of representation is primarily focused on race and class rather than a broad spectrum of identities.

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Category Breakdown

Does The First Star have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film does not include any visible LGBTQ+ characters or narratives that challenge the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does The First Star portray gender?

Fair

The wife plays a significant role in driving the story, challenging the cliché of the male provider by highlighting the protagonist's desperation.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The First Star?

Excellent

By centering a family of color in Créteil, the film disrupts the idea of a monolithically white French domestic experience. It provides a nuanced look at diverse social navigation.

How does The First Star represent religion and culture?

Good

The story explores socioeconomic struggles and the pressures of consumerism. It offers a critique of how economic structures limit certain working-class social classes.

Does The First Star include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no discernible evidence regarding the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities in the narrative.

Present on Screen

Meaningful representation of a family of color navigating suburban French life.
Subversion of traditional gender roles by giving the female protagonist a significant role in driving the story.
Nuanced exploration of socioeconomic struggles and working-class realities.

Limited or Absent

Lack of visible LGBTQ+ characters or narratives.
Absence of representation regarding physical or neurodivergent disabilities.
Reliance on a traditional nuclear family structure.

Official Synopsis

A married father of three, lives in Créteil doing odd jobs and spends his time at the local PMU bar. One day, to please his daughter, he promises a little too quick to take the whole family on vacation to ski. The only problem: if he breaks his promise, his wife will divorce him.

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