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Fortitude

Name: Fortitude
Director: Jorge Thielen Armand
Released: 2020
Duration: 108 min

Representation Score

7.4/10

Good

2020

Director

Jorge Thielen Armand

Runtime

108 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Fortitude is a raw psychological drama that gains strength from its rejection of Western-centric narratives. By situating the story in the chaotic Amazon and the collapse of Venezuelan institutions, the film provides a powerful critique of systemic power and conventional progress. However, the film remains anchored in a hyper-masculine viewpoint. Its emphasis on male ego and the absence of diverse gender or queer identities limit its broader social relevance. Overall, Fortitude excels as a regional survival drama that employs psychological instability to examine human ability to act in a fractured world.

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Category Breakdown

Does Fortitude have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses on intense, masculine interactions among a temporary group of friends. Though it doesn't explicitly include queer identities, the lack of traditional heterosexual relationships highlights the volatility of male bonds.

How does Fortitude portray gender?

Fair

The story unfolds within a highly masculine context, criticizing the harmful effects of the male ego. It challenges the 'competent patriarch' stereotype by showing the protagonist's inability to maintain order.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Fortitude?

Good

The film stands out by setting its story in the Amazon, a non-Western region. It counters Western-centric narratives by emphasizing local identities and complex, non-Western power dynamics.

How does Fortitude represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The narrative delves into survivalist ethics after the fall of the Venezuelan state, focusing on anti-institutional themes. It questions 'civilized' progress through a lens of moral ambiguity.

Does Fortitude include disability representation?

Fair

Roque's experience with alcohol withdrawal and feverish hallucinations illustrates psychological distress. The film uses his altered state to explore the vulnerability of the human mind.

Present on Screen

Effective deconstruction of Western institutional stability and traditional hierarchies.
Accurate portrayal of non-Western, regional identities and settings.
In-depth exploration of psychological distress and the fragility of the human psyche.

Limited or Absent

Limited representation of LGBTQ+ identities.
Overemphasis on a hyper-masculine framework that restricts gender diversity.
Little focus on perspectives outside the protagonist's male social circle.

Official Synopsis

To escape the crisis in Venezuela, and his alcoholism, Roque retreats into the Amazon jungle to renovate a cabin he built during happier times. He struggles with feverish visions caused by alcohol abstinence, and his desire for redemption becomes distorted when he joins old friends to work in an illegal gold mine controlled by Colombian guerrillas. The violence required to work in the mine plunges Roque into a cycle of self-destruction that devours his interior. He will need the fortitude to get out and start anew.

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