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Occidental

Name: Occidental
Director: Neil Beloufa
Released: 2018
Duration: 73 min

Representation Score

6.1/10

Good

2018

Director

Neil Beloufa

Runtime

73 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Occidental is a focused look at social friction that uses a confined setting to highlight institutional reactions to perceived differences. By centering the story on a same-sex couple facing systemic suspicion, the film highlights the tension between individual identity and institutional gatekeeping. The film's primary strength lies in its use of LGBTQ+ identity to challenge social prejudices. By making a same-sex relationship the focal point of the conflict, it effectively disrupts the standard expectations of travelers and hospitality. However, the film's focus is narrow. While it successfully explores ethnic friction through nationality, it lacks a broad range of global ethnicities and offers limited subversion of gender hierarchies.

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Category Breakdown

Does Occidental have LGBTQ+ representation?

Excellent

The film focuses on Giorgio and Antonio, a same-sex couple whose relationship drives the plot. Their identity sparks social tension and challenges the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does Occidental portray gender?

Fair

Diana, the hotel manager, holds a position of professional authority but is primarily defined by her reactionary stance influenced by gendered expectations.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Occidental?

Good

The narrative uses the presence of Italian nationals in France to create ethnic friction. This dynamic serves as a microcosm for broader xenophobic anxieties and challenges the setting's homogeneity.

How does Occidental represent religion and culture?

Good

The film critiques Western social institutions by portraying the hotel as a site of systemic bias. It explores how institutional stability is disrupted by individuals who do not conform to traditional norms.

Does Occidental include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no discernible evidence regarding the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities in this work.

Present on Screen

Centers a same-sex couple as the primary narrative catalyst.
Uses ethnic friction effectively to critique xenophobic anxieties.
Provides a strong critique of how traditional institutions use rules to exclude non-conforming individuals.

Limited or Absent

Limited exploration of diverse global ethnicities beyond Italian and French identities.
Lacks significant subversion regarding gender hierarchies.
No visible representation of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

The mood is heated. Demonstrations are taking place across France, also in front of the Paris hotel where an Italian named Giorgio is booking the bridal suite for him and his boyfriend Antonio. Hotel manager Diana doesn’t trust them and calls the police to get rid of the odd couple. Italians? Homosexuals? Criminals? In the charged atmosphere of the Hotel Occidental, little is needed for initial suspicions to be aroused.

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