New Showbiz

You are here:
The Reading

The Reading

2023

TV-MA

Director

Courtney Glaude

Runtime

96 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

After a deadly home invasion, Emma (Mo'Nique Hicks) copes by writing a book, but when a young psychic and her team perform a reading in her home, a new terror is unleashed.

Where to Watch

Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

6.1/10

Good


Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Fair

The film lacks explicit evidence of LGBTQ+ characters or non-heteronormative dynamics. The plot focuses primarily on the psychological aftermath of a home invasion and supernatural encounters.

Gender Representation

Good

Emma serves as a central driver of the plot, moving from a victim of trauma to an active participant in a psychic investigation. This positioning subverts traditional horror tropes of female passivity.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Good

Centering a Black woman in a domestic thriller provides a significant shift in perspective. The casting of Mo'Nique Hicks offers a non-Anglo-Saxon lens on themes of home and safety.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Fair

The narrative explores spirituality through a psychic team's reading, moving away from traditional Western secularism. This introduces a subjective, metaphysical framework to the psychological drama.

Disability Representation

Minimal

While the protagonist deals with significant psychological trauma, it is unclear if this is portrayed with agency. There is insufficient evidence to assess neurodivergent representation.

Strengths

  • Centers a powerful Black female protagonist in a genre historically dominated by white leads.
  • Subverts traditional horror tropes by giving the female lead agency through intellectual coping.
  • Incorporates spiritual and metaphysical themes that move beyond Western secularism.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lacks visible LGBTQ+ representation or queer relationship dynamics within the primary plot.
  • Provides insufficient clarity on whether psychological trauma is handled with agency or as a plot device.
  • Does not offer specific details regarding neurodivergent or disability representation.

AI Analysis

The Reading succeeds in diversifying the thriller genre by centering a Black female protagonist. By focusing on Emma's intellectual and creative coping mechanisms, the film challenges the demographic norms often found in horror-dramas. The film's strength lies in its subversion of gendered vulnerability and its embrace of spiritual subjectivity. It moves the domestic thriller away from traditional secular perspectives by incorporating metaphysical elements. However, the film remains limited by a lack of visible LGBTQ+ presence and unconfirmed details regarding neurodivergent representation. The portrayal of psychological trauma remains an ambiguous element of the narrative.

How are these scores produced? →

Similar Movies

Movie poster for Dream House Nightmare

Dream House Nightmare

2017

No user ratings available yet
Diversity score: 4.7 out of 10

Rate this Movie

No rating selected
Use arrow keys to select a rating from 1 to 5 stars
Optional text review, maximum 2000 characters
Tip: Wrap spoilers with ||double pipes|| to hide them
0/2000 characters
You must be signed in to submit a rating

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts on this movie!

Use the rating form above to leave a star rating and optional review.