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What We Wanted

What We Wanted

Representation Score

7.6/10

Good

2020

TV-MA

Director

Ulrike Kofler

Runtime

94 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Ulrike Kofler’s drama provides a nuanced look at the fragility of social facades. By focusing on a couple's struggle with infertility, the film moves away from sanitized versions of domestic life to explore human dissatisfaction. The film successfully challenges traditional family narratives and critiques superficial social structures. It uses the tension between appearance and reality to question the 'ideal' domestic unit. However, the film lacks significant LGBTQ+ or racial diversity. The narrative remains centered on intra-European social dynamics and a heterosexual central relationship, limiting its broader impact.

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Category Breakdown

Does What We Wanted have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The story focuses on a heterosexual couple, Alice and Niklas, dealing with infertility. Although there are no explicit LGBTQ+ characters, the film explores unconventional family structures that challenge traditional domestic ideals.

How does What We Wanted portray gender?

Fair

The narrative centers on Alice's emotional and biological struggles, which challenge traditional gender hierarchies. It highlights the gap between social expectations and personal realities.

How racially and ethnically diverse is What We Wanted?

Fair

Set in Sardinia with an Austrian family, the film features a predominantly European cast. There is little indication of significant racial blending or diverse representation within the social dynamics.

How does What We Wanted represent religion and culture?

Good

The film deconstructs the 'ideal' Western family by emphasizing the discrepancy between social status and personal struggles. It prioritizes individual experiences and moral relativism over traditional social certainties.

Does What We Wanted include disability representation?

Fair

No physical or neurodivergent disabilities are explicitly noted. However, the central conflict of infertility serves as a biological struggle that impacts the characters' identity and ability to act.

Present on Screen

  • Challenges traditional gender hierarchies by focusing on female emotional and biological struggles.
  • Subverts the 'ideal' family narrative through a realistic exploration of domestic dissatisfaction.
  • Highlights the gap between social expectations and personal realities.

Limited or Absent

  • Lacks explicit LGBTQ+ representation or non-straight relationships in the main plot.
  • Shows limited racial and ethnic diversity, focusing primarily on European social dynamics.
  • Does not include explicit representation of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Alice and Niklas are a young couple who's biggest wish is to have a child of their own. After several failed attempts they decide to go on a holiday in Sardinia to clear their minds. There they meet a family from Austria that seems to have everything they ever wished for. But appearances can be deceiving...

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