The film lacks explicit queer identities or same-sex intimacy. Instead, it uses surrealist dream-logic to reject heteronormative social structures and traditional sexual hierarchies.

Fando and Lis share a volatile, non-linear relationship that avoids traditional archetypes. Lis drives the psychological tension, shifting power away from conventional masculine leadership.

Characters function as psychodramatic archetypes rather than social actors. The desert-adjacent setting prioritizes subconscious symbolism over specific ethnic diversity or intersectional complexity.

Jodorowsky deconstructs Western institutional stability by replacing Christian morality with moral relativism. The film portrays organized social order and authority as fragmented and unreliable.

Lis is depicted with partial paralysis, which is central to her identity. Her condition is integrated into the existential journey rather than being used for mockery.