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A Country Called Home

Name: A Country Called Home
Director: Anna Axster
Released: 2016
Duration: 90 min

Representation Score

7.7/10

Good

2016

Not Rated

Director

Anna Axster

Runtime

90 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

A Country Called Home is a character-driven study that excels at disrupting traditional social and romantic hierarchies. By using a 1970s counter-culture setting, the film provides a nuanced look at non-traditional identities and the breakdown of established social safety nets. While the film successfully explores gender ability to act and queer subcultures, it remains limited by a lack of racial and ethnic diversity. The cast is largely homogeneous, reflecting a specific socioeconomic and historical context rather than a broad spectrum of human experience. Ultimately, the film's strength lies in its psychological realism. It trades traditional, stable narratives for a complex examination of identity and the instability of personal structures.

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Category Breakdown

Does A Country Called Home have LGBTQ+ representation?

Good

The 1970s San Francisco setting immerses viewers in queer subcultures and social structures that don't follow traditional norms. The film focuses on the psychological complexity and volatility of queer connections, avoiding typical romantic clichés.

How does A Country Called Home portray gender?

Good

The narrative centers on the protagonist's journey as she navigates an emotionally turbulent landscape. It challenges traditional expectations of feminine passivity and domestic stability, highlighting the psychological complexity and ability to act of the female lead.

How racially and ethnically diverse is A Country Called Home?

Limited

The film features a predominantly white cast, reflecting the specific bohemian milieu of its historical setting. It lacks significant racial or ethnic diversity, adhering to a largely homogeneous demographic.

How does A Country Called Home represent religion and culture?

Good

The film offers a sophisticated look at 1970s counter-culture and social norms. It prioritizes subjective morality and the search for identity over rigid, institutionalized societal expectations.

Does A Country Called Home include disability representation?

Fair

The story explores psychological instability and emotional volatility as part of the character's landscape. However, it does not explicitly represent visible or diagnosed disabilities.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional gender hierarchies by emphasizing the psychological complexity and ability to act of the female lead.
Effectively uses its 1970s setting to ground queer identities within a rich subcultural milieu.
Provides a sophisticated critique of social norms through its focus on counter-culture and subjective morality.

Limited or Absent

Lacks significant racial and ethnic diversity, resulting in a largely homogeneous cast.
Does not provide explicit representation or addressed narratives regarding visible or diagnosed disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Ellie is a 27-year old whose life is far from where she imagined it to be. Filled with annoying friends, a self-involved boyfriend, and a career that she can’t bring herself to pursue, Ellie feels detached from her life. When she learns that her estranged alcoholic father has died, her world is disrupted and she begins a journey that takes her to a small town in Texas. While dealing with the logistical arrangements of her father’s death Ellie has to confront what happens when the structures and safety nets we build for ourselves come undone.

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