You are here:

Reflections

Name: Reflections
Director: Yao Hung-i
Released: 2007
Duration: 87 min

Representation Score

8.5/10

Excellent

2007

Director

Yao Hung-i

Runtime

87 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Reflections is a character-driven drama that centers on queer identity and women's ability to drive the story. By focusing on the relationship between Jing and Mi, the film moves beyond peripheral inclusion to make same-sex romance the narrative's core. The film's strength lies in its psychological complexity and its departure from Western-centric storytelling. It uses a Taiwanese setting to explore unconventional interpersonal dynamics and the pressures of traditional family structures. However, the exploration of mental health remains somewhat narrow, potentially using emotional instability as a plot device.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Reflections have LGBTQ+ representation?

Excellent

The film focuses on a lesbian relationship between Jing and Mi, which challenges the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender. This relationship serves as the main emotional driver of the story.

How does Reflections portray gender?

Good

The story delves into the inner lives of two distinct women, Jing and Mi. Jing's portrayal as a volatile rock singer challenges traditional views of feminine stability and emotional autonomy.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Reflections?

Fair

Set in Taiwan, the film provides a localized, non-Western perspective. Although the cast is ethnically homogeneous, it avoids the Anglo-centric defaults found in many films.

How does Reflections represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative critiques traditional familial structures through Jing's fractured relationship with her mother. It prioritizes individual emotional truth over societal or domestic expectations.

Does Reflections include disability representation?

Fair

Jing’s severe mood swings introduce themes of mental health. While offering psychological insight, the condition may serve primarily as a catalyst for dramatic tension.

Present on Screen

Centers a lesbian relationship as the primary emotional driver of the narrative.
Challenges traditional feminine clichés through Jing's characterization.
Provides a localized, non-Western perspective by setting the story in Taiwan.

Limited or Absent

Deepen the exploration of mental health to avoid using mood swings as mere dramatic tension.
Expand ethnic diversity beyond a homogeneous cast to broaden the film's cultural scope.

Official Synopsis

A couple is torn by conflicting emotions. Jing and Mi are two women living in Taiwan who have been lovers for some time; Jing is a singer in a rock band who suffers from severe mood swings and has been suffering from a fractured relationship with her mother, while Mi is the more sedate and level-headed of the couple.

How are these scores produced? →