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This Is Personal

Name: This Is Personal
Director: Amy J. Berg
Released: 2019
Duration: 105 min

Representation Score

9.5/10

Excellent

2019

Director

Amy J. Berg

Runtime

105 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Amy J. Berg’s documentary is a progressive look at how individual identity interacts with systemic political structures. By focusing on the lived experiences of Tamika Mallory and Erika Andiola, the film goes beyond simple biography to deconstruct the concept of the way different parts of someone's identity overlap. The work is most effective in its actively leading representation of Black women, positioning them as decisive agents of systemic disruption. It challenges Anglo-centric social structures and traditional Western power dynamics by prioritizing voices from the margins. While the film is a powerful tool for social critique, it lacks specific focus on disability narratives. Its strength lies in its refusal to separate personal identity from political ability to act.

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Category Breakdown

Does This Is Personal have LGBTQ+ representation?

Excellent

The film explores the complexities of queer identity and how individuals who aren't straight navigate institutional power. It avoids clichés and focuses on the roles these individuals play in driving social change.

How does This Is Personal portray gender?

Excellent

This documentary challenges traditional gender roles by highlighting women as leaders and intellectuals. It portrays women as the main architects of political discourse rather than passive participants in social movements.

How racially and ethnically diverse is This Is Personal?

Excellent

The film excels in showing how race, gender, and class intersect to challenge dominant social structures. It centers Black women as the primary storytellers, providing a nuanced view of their experiences.

How does This Is Personal represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The narrative critiques traditional Western institutions and frames established political hierarchies as systems needing deconstruction. It prioritizes identity-based truths over singular, traditional moralities.

Does This Is Personal include disability representation?

Fair

There is insufficient evidence to determine the presence of specific disability narratives. While addressing systemic oppression, the film does not explicitly center neurodivergence or physical disability.

Present on Screen

Provides actively leading representation of Black women as central political architects.
Offers a sophisticated, non-reductive exploration of queer identity and institutional navigation.
Effectively links personal struggle with systemic power using an multi-layered framework.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit focus or centering of neurodivergence and physical disability narratives.

Official Synopsis

While the 2016 election catalyzed the Women’s March and a new era of feminist activism, Tamika Mallory and Erika Andiola have been fighting for their communities for decades. Their stories expose the fundamental connection between personal and political and raise the question: what's intersectionality and can it save the world?

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