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Parents in Progress

Name: Parents in Progress
Director: Laura Chiossone
Released: 2019
Duration: 87 min

Representation Score

5.9/10

Fair

2019

Director

Laura Chiossone

Runtime

87 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Parents in Progress successfully challenges the idealized parental archetype by focusing on the anxieties of a single mother. The film shifts away from traditional domestic stability to examine the tension between personal authenticity and societal pressures. While the film provides substantial depth regarding gender and cultural norms, it lacks evidence of racial or ethnic diversity. The focus remains primarily on the internal and social struggles of a specific, localized group. Ultimately, the work serves as an exploration of non-conformity, emphasizing the strength of a single female head of household against a potentially oppressive social collective.

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Category Breakdown

Does Parents in Progress have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film delves into the personal journey of a son who struggles to accept his true identity, highlighting the importance of authenticity over societal expectations.

How does Parents in Progress portray gender?

Good

Simona serves as a strong emotional anchor, challenging traditional gender roles by focusing on her psychological journey as a single mother. The narrative avoids clichéd domestic scenarios to emphasize her inner world.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Parents in Progress?

Fair

The setting hints at a localized community that may lack diversity. There is a noticeable absence of characters representing various racial or ethnic backgrounds.

How does Parents in Progress represent religion and culture?

Good

The story critiques social institutions by depicting peer pressure as a force of systemic oppression. It emphasizes individual truth over rigid communal norms.

Does Parents in Progress include disability representation?

Minimal

The narrative does not include characters facing physical, neurodivergent, or mental health challenges.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional patriarchal leadership by centering a single mother's perspective.
Explores the tension between individual authenticity and social conformity.
Deconstructs the 'perfect parent' cliché through realistic psychological depth.

Limited or Absent

Lacks visible evidence of racial or ethnic diversity.
Provides no clear representation of characters with disabilities.
The social environment appears potentially homogeneous and localized.

Official Synopsis

Simona is a single mother in her early ‘40s who is wholly devoted to her son, Filippo. To get over her insecurities as a parent and make her son happy on his eighth birthday, she decides to throw him a birthday party in their small flat and invite over his school friends and their parents. For Simona, this birthday is about to pose quite the surprising dilemma between allowing her son to embrace his true self and a mother’s fierce desire to protect her child from their potentially cruel surroundings. This is the last conundrum she was expecting to have to face on a day that is already rife with anxiety.

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