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Meditation

Name: Meditation
Director: Jordan Belson
Released: 1971
Duration: 5 min

Representation Score

7.5/10

Good

1971

Director

Jordan Belson

Runtime

5 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Jordan Belson’s *Meditation* is a work of pure abstraction that disrupts cinematic expectations by removing the human element entirely. Because it eschews traditional narrative structures, dialogue, and anthropomorphic figures, it exists outside the conventional frameworks used to measure social representation. The film functions as a non-representational study of light, color, and form. It prioritizes metaphysical experience over identity-based storytelling, making it impossible to score on traditional metrics of social ability to act or demographic diversity. Ultimately, the work succeeds by challenging the dominance of Western, character-driven storytelling. It operates in a purely visual, non-hierarchical space that bypasses systemic social hierarchies in favor of sensory liberation.

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Category Breakdown

Does Meditation have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film does not include characters, gendered identities, or interpersonal relationships. Since it is an abstract work, it does not engage with LGBTQ identity or the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does Meditation portray gender?

Fair

There are no gendered archetypes or social hierarchies in the film. By omitting human figures, it avoids reinforcing or subverting traditional masculine or feminine roles.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Meditation?

Fair

The work uses color and light instead of racial signifiers. Without human subjects, the film does not engage in racial casting or ethnic storytelling.

How does Meditation represent religion and culture?

Good

The film focuses on non-secular spirituality and aligns with non-traditional values. It prioritizes abstract meditation over Western narrative clichés and institutional structures.

Does Meditation include disability representation?

Fair

Since there are no characters, the film does not address physical or neurodivergent representation. It avoids human-centric clichés by departing from the human form.

Present on Screen

Challenges the dominance of Western, character-driven storytelling through pure abstraction.
Promotes a universalist, non-institutional spirituality by focusing on internal metaphysical states.
Avoids reinforcing social hierarchies by operating in a non-hierarchical, visual space.

Limited or Absent

Lacks any platform for identity-based narratives or social representation due to its non-representational nature.
Does not engage with racial, gendered, or LGBTQ identities, remaining demographically neutral.

Official Synopsis

An abstract experimental short film from Jordan Belson.

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