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Our Body

Name: Our Body
Director: Claire Simon
Released: 2023
Duration: 169 min

Representation Score

7.4/10

Good

2023

Director

Claire Simon

Runtime

169 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Our Body is a deeply personal, observational documentary that centers women's ability to drive the story within a Parisian public hospital. By including her own narrative, Claire Simon moves away from detached clinical observation toward a humanist, subjective exploration of womanhood. The film successfully deconstructs the male gaze, focusing instead on the autonomy and physical vulnerability of women. It uses the medical setting to critique the dehumanizing nature of Western institutionalism and bureaucracy. However, the film lacks significant multi-layered depth. The narrative remains largely focused on biological universality, resulting in a lack of explicit LGBTQ+ identities and a predominantly homogeneous racial representation.

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Category Breakdown

Does Our Body have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses on the biological realities of the female reproductive cycle. It lacks explicit LGBTQ+ identities or narratives involving queer-coded themes.

How does Our Body portray gender?

Good

The narrative centers the female experience, shifting power away from patriarchal structures toward a communal, institutional female perspective.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Our Body?

Fair

The cast within the Parisian hospital setting appears predominantly homogeneous. The film studies biological universality rather than critiquing racial the way different parts of someone's identity overlap.

How does Our Body represent religion and culture?

Good

The film critiques Western medical bureaucracy by prioritizing patients' subjective truths. It frames the hospital as a space of systemic tension rather than purely benevolent care.

Does Our Body include disability representation?

Fair

The documentary explores the physical vulnerability and temporary disability inherent in reproductive processes. It treats the body in flux with ability to act, avoiding clichéd 'inspiration porn' clichés.

Present on Screen

Centers women's ability to drive the story and autonomy within a medical setting.
Challenges traditional patriarchal hierarchies and the male gaze.
Provides a raw, unvarnished look at physical vulnerability and bodily flux.
Offers a nuanced critique of Western medical institutions.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth or queer identities.
Shows limited racial and ethnic diversity within the observed cohort.
Does not prioritize multi-layered racial narratives as central drivers.

Official Synopsis

In a Parisian public hospital, Claire Simon questions what it means to live in women’s bodies, filming their diversity, singularity and their beauty in all stages throughout life. Unique stories of desires, fears and struggles unfold, including the one of the filmmaker herself.

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