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Torn

Name: Torn
Director: Renaud Bertrand
Released: 2019
Duration: 92 min

Representation Score

6.2/10

Good

2019

Director

Renaud Bertrand

Runtime

92 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Torn succeeds in going beyond simple inclusion by using its characters to explore the breakdown of traditional institutions like family and military authority. The film provides a nuanced look at contemporary French society through its setting and character dynamics. However, the film remains limited by its focus on conventional romantic drama and traditional gender roles. While it offers significant social commentary, it lacks depth in LGBTQ+ representation and does not feature characters with disabilities. Ultimately, the work is a character-driven social realism piece that uses ethnic and social complexity to disrupt expectations of domestic order.

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Category Breakdown

Does Torn have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The story focuses on heterosexual relationships and the issues surrounding infidelity. It does not include explicit LGBTQ+ identities or critiques of social structures from a queer perspective.

How does Torn portray gender?

Fair

Women such as Elise and Leila are shown with professional independence as a lawyer and physiotherapist. The film also looks at the volatile nature of masculine authority through Maurice's violent behavior.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Torn?

Good

Set in a Lille suburb, the film explores the complexities of ethnic diversity and systemic tensions. The conflict involving Sofiane highlights the friction in multi-ethnic urban environments.

How does Torn represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The narrative challenges the stability of Western institutions by showing a fractured family unit. It portrays authority as a destructive force rather than a stabilizing one.

Does Torn include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no indication of characters dealing with visible or invisible disabilities within the narrative.

Present on Screen

Strong portrayal of professional independence for female characters.
Nuanced exploration of ethnic and social complexities in urban settings.
Effective critique of traditional authority and institutional stability.

Limited or Absent

Lack of explicit LGBTQ+ representation or perspectives.
Absence of characters navigating disabilities.
Heavy reliance on traditional gender roles.

Official Synopsis

In the suburb of Lille, Stéphane holds a tobacco shop with his father, Maurice, a retired military officer. Although feeling trapped in his marriage, Stéphane doesn't want to leave his wife, Elise, a lawyer, and is currently having an affair with Leila, a physiotherapist and mother of two. Together they hope for a better life, but everything changes when Sofiane, Leila's 15 year old son, holds up the store at gunpoint, without any knowledge of his mother's affair with Stéphane. Maurice-violently hit-pulls out a gun and shoots him.

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