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Broken Promises: Taking Emily Back

Name: Broken Promises: Taking Emily Back
Director: Donald Wrye
Released: 1993
Duration: 93 min

Representation Score

5.5/10

Fair

1993

Director

Donald Wrye

Runtime

93 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Broken Promises: Taking Emily Back is a character-driven domestic drama that emphasizes emotional depth over broad social representation. It excels in offering a nuanced look at women's ability to drive the story and the complexities of mental health after trauma. However, the film remains tied to the conventional dramatic standards of its time. It focuses almost entirely on a homogeneous social circle and traditional family dynamics, limiting its broader social impact due to a lack of multi-layered diversity.

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Category Breakdown

Does Broken Promises: Taking Emily Back have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The story revolves around a traditional married couple dealing with grief. There are no queer characters or non-straight relationships in the narrative.

How does Broken Promises: Taking Emily Back portray gender?

Fair

The film centers on the female experience of reproductive loss and grief. Pam Cheney drives the plot through her emotional journey, serving as the main character.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Broken Promises: Taking Emily Back?

Limited

The story seems to operate within a typical mid-90s framework. There is no indication of a diverse cast or the subversion of Anglo-centric casting.

How does Broken Promises: Taking Emily Back represent religion and culture?

Fair

The film explores the breakdown of traditional family expectations and institutional rigidity. However, it adheres to conventional social values and standard family structures.

Does Broken Promises: Taking Emily Back include disability representation?

Fair

The film provides a significant exploration of mental health through the depiction of clinical depression. It treats Pam's psychological state as a central, driving force in the story.

Present on Screen

Offers a nuanced and central exploration of clinical depression and mental health.
Features strong women's ability to drive the story, centering the narrative on a woman's emotional journey.
Provides a meaningful look at the psychological aftermath of reproductive loss.

Limited or Absent

Lacks racial and ethnic diversity within the cast and social circle.
Does not include LGBTQ+ characters or non-straight perspectives.
Relies heavily on traditional, conventional family structures and social values.

Official Synopsis

Ever since Pam Cheney (Cheryl Ladd) lost her baby during labor, she has been struggling with depression. She is not only supported by her loving, but hard working husband Sean (Robert Desiderio), but also by her friends Ella (Polly Draper) and Terry Sabin (D. David Morin), who have also lost a baby at age three. One year after labor, Pam decides to finally take a proposal to adopt a toddler. Going through official agencies proves unsuccessful, partly due to Pam's age, partly due to the growing demand of adoption. She is advised to take care of an orphaned teenager instead, but Sean refuses this option.

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