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The Saint Bernard Syndicate

The Saint Bernard Syndicate

2018

Director

Mads Brügger

Runtime

95 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

The film is a comedy about Rasmus and Frederik, two Danish men in their 30s, who head out on a business venture. They know each other from a boarding school back in Denmark and none of them have really been successful in life so far. Now they meet, 15 years later, both keen to set up a dog breeding centre. The two partners have learned that so-called luxury dogs are extremely popular among the Chinese upper class and therefore expect this to be their way into fast and overwhelming wealth in China. A 200 plus lb St. Bernard dog by the name of Dollar travels with them to Chongqing. Here they meet up with the mysterious Mr. Liu who owns the largest bakery in Western China and who believes that dogs are as powerful as humans. Soon, the dog business evolves in unexpected ways, while the friendship between the two Danes grows stronger.

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Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

5.0/10

Fair

Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Limited

The film focuses on the platonic and professional bond between two men. There is no explicit evidence of queer romantic arcs or non-cisnormative identities, keeping the narrative within heteronormative frameworks.

Gender Representation

Fair

The story centers on a male duo, which initially suggests a traditional hierarchy. However, it subverts masculinity by portraying the protagonists as unsuccessful and desperate rather than competent leaders.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Good

The film engages meaningfully with non-Western spaces by setting the story in Chongqing. It avoids white savior tropes, presenting the Danish characters as outsiders navigating a complex Chinese business landscape.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Excellent

The narrative critiques Western capitalist expansion and neoliberalism. By introducing Mr. Liu’s unique worldview, the film challenges Western rationalist norms and centers a non-Western cultural logic.

Disability Representation

Minimal

There is no discernible mention of characters with visible or invisible disabilities. These themes do not appear to be integrated into the narrative arc.

Strengths

  • Effective subversion of the 'Western hero' trope through inept protagonists.
  • Strong critique of neoliberalism and the commodification of life.
  • Meaningful engagement with non-Western settings and cultural logic.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lack of visible or invisible disability representation.
  • Minimal presence of female agency within the core plot.
  • Absence of LGBTQ+ identities or queer romantic arcs.

AI Analysis

The film succeeds as a sophisticated critique of global capitalism and Western hubris. It disrupts traditional tropes by presenting its protagonists as flawed, culturally illiterate agents of a predatory economic impulse rather than heroes. While the film lacks representation for LGBTQ+ identities and disability, it excels in its cultural and racial analysis. It avoids the 'white savior' cliché by positioning the Western characters as outsiders in a landscape they fail to comprehend. Ultimately, the work achieves depth by centering non-Western perspectives and challenging the idea of Western economic dominance, even if the core cast remains largely male-centric.

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