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The Handyman

The Handyman

2018

Director

Valerio Attanasio

Runtime

96 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

We are all equal before the law, but some are just more equal than others. Antonio is a trainee lawyer who dreams of joining his mentor’s prestigious firm. But Salvatore “Toti” Bellastella, the Prince of the Forum, is also an exploitative tyrant! He asks Antonio any kind of task: from being his assistant to driver, from paralegal to personal cook! When Antonio brilliantly passes the bar, he gets the offer of becoming a partner in the firm, but there is still one condition: he must marry Isabel, Toti’s lover, an Argentinian girl who needs the Italian citizenship. It looks like just another little “favor” for his boss. So Antonio accepts… and he’s really in a sea of trouble.

Where to Watch

Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

5.6/10

Fair

Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Limited

The story centers on a heteronormative arrangement between Antonio and Isabel. It does not feature queer narratives or non-cisnormative identities, sticking instead to traditional relationship archetypes.

Gender Representation

Fair

The film subverts male-dominated hierarchies by depicting the legal profession as a site of moral decay. Isabel possesses agency regarding her legal status, rather than being a passive object.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Good

Isabel’s Argentinian background introduces an international element to the plot. Her status as an immigrant highlights the intersection of ethnicity and legal vulnerability within the social hierarchy.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Excellent

The narrative offers a sharp critique of Western institutions and the myth of meritocracy. It portrays the legal system as a corrupt, transactional framework that demands moral compromise.

Disability Representation

Minimal

There are no prominent depictions of visible or invisible disabilities that impact the character arcs or drive the narrative forward.

Strengths

  • Effective deconstruction of Western professional institutions and the myth of meritocracy.
  • Nuanced portrayal of the intersection between immigrant status and legal vulnerability.
  • Subversion of traditional male authority figures through depictions of incompetence and decay.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lack of representation for LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisnormative narratives.
  • Absence of characters with visible or invisible disabilities.
  • Reliance on traditional heteronormative relationship structures to drive the plot.

AI Analysis

The film functions as a dark satire of the legal profession, focusing more on systemic corruption than on identity-based representation. Its primary strength lies in deconstructing the sanctity of professional institutions through a lens of exploitation. While the narrative lacks queer or disability-focused storylines, it successfully uses the protagonist's struggle to critique capitalist power dynamics. The inclusion of an Argentinian character adds necessary complexity to the social hierarchy. Ultimately, the film prioritizes a critique of institutional integrity over diverse character visibility, using social mobility as a tool to expose the transactional nature of power.

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