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The Right Side of My Brain

Name: The Right Side of My Brain
Director: Richard Kern
Released: 1984
Duration: 23 min

Representation Score

5.5/10

Fair

1984

Director

Richard Kern

Runtime

23 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The Right Side of My Brain is a transgressive work of No Wave cinema that prioritizes individualistic experience over mainstream social norms. It excels at deconstructing gender hierarchies by positioning female sexuality as a primary narrative driver rather than a passive object. While the film successfully challenges traditional moral and cultural gatekeeping, it lacks verifiable evidence of racial or ethnic diversity. The focus remains heavily on the psychological landscape of its central figures. Ultimately, the film's strength lies in its anti-establishment stance and its rejection of traditional cinematic structures, though its narrow demographic focus limits its overall diversity impact.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Right Side of My Brain have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film explores themes of insatiable female lust, suggesting a departure from the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender. However, specific depictions of non-straight identities are not explicitly detailed.

How does The Right Side of My Brain portray gender?

Good

The narrative subverts traditional hierarchies by centering female desire and control. Using Lydia Lunch as both performer and narrator disrupts the conventional male perspective.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Right Side of My Brain?

Limited

There is no information about the racial makeup of the cast. The film likely reflects the local demographics of the underground No Wave movement.

How does The Right Side of My Brain represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The work rejects traditional Western institutions and singular Christian ideals. It prioritizes subjective experience and raw human impulses over conventional morality.

Does The Right Side of My Brain include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no evidence within the film's context to suggest the presence of characters with physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Present on Screen

Subverts the male perspective by centering female control and desire.
Challenges traditional Western moral frameworks and social institutions.
Provides a raw, unmediated exploration of human impulses and subjectivity.

Limited or Absent

Lacks verifiable racial and ethnic diversity within the cast.
Provides no evidence of representation for characters with disabilities.
Specific LGBTQ+ character arcs are not explicitly detailed.

Official Synopsis

Lydia Lunch and Richard Kern's first collaborative effort, The Right Side of My Brain, is a glimpse into the world of unsatiable female lust, narrated by Lydia Lunch. The film was initially dismissed and dismayed by critics such as J. Hoberman, but the criticism of The Right Side of My Brain received only pushed the two to go one step further with Fingered (1986).

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