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Distance

Name: Distance
Director: Sivaroj Kongsakul, Xin Yukun, Shijie Tan
Released: 2016
Duration: 108 min

Representation Score

7.3/10

Good

2016

Director

Sivaroj Kongsakul, Xin Yukun, Shijie Tan

Runtime

108 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Distance is a contemplative work that prioritizes authentic, localized storytelling over overt political messaging. It succeeds by disrupting Western-centric cinematic norms through its slow-cinema approach and Southeast Asian setting. The film’s strength lies in its cultural authenticity and its ability to center women's ability to drive the story and rural life. It avoids the pitfalls of exoticism by treating its Thai landscapes as active participants in the narrative. However, the film remains within conventional frameworks regarding identity. It lacks explicit LGBTQ+ representation and relies on traditional relational structures, which limits its scope for identity-based subversion.

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Category Breakdown

Does Distance have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film does not include any explicit LGBTQ+ narratives or non-cisgender identities. It focuses on traditional family and friendship relationships.

How does Distance portray gender?

Fair

The narrative centers on the experiences of women through themes of familial care in rural settings. It offers a nuanced look at womanhood without relying on male-centric action clichés.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Distance?

Excellent

The film excels by featuring a primarily Thai cast and rural landscapes. It avoids exoticism and presents a deep, lived reality of Southeast Asia.

How does Distance represent religion and culture?

Good

The story emphasizes the quiet rhythms of rural, working-class life. It avoids Western-centric moralities and instead explores local perspectives on human existence and time.

Does Distance include disability representation?

Fair

The film explores themes of physical decline through an ailing mother. This depiction serves as a catalyst for emotional connection rather than a central plot device.

Present on Screen

Features authentic Southeast Asian representation through a primarily Thai cast.
Uses rural landscapes as active narrative drivers rather than mere backdrops.
Offers nuanced depictions of women's ability to drive the story and emotional labor in rural settings.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or queer narratives.
Relies on traditional, heterosexual relational structures throughout the stories.

Official Synopsis

Three stories which each focus on one of three types of relationships: family, friendship, and love. The first story is about conflicted manager on a business trip who is intrigued by an elderly worker and investigates his life. The second story is about a young father who receives a letter that brings him to a foreign land, where old emotions come unburied. The last story is about a visiting professor from overseas who sets a student's heart fluttering, while having to deal with his own.

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