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High Tide

Name: High Tide
Director: Gillian Armstrong
Released: 1987
Duration: 101 min

Representation Score

5.1/10

Fair

1987

PG-13

Director

Gillian Armstrong

Runtime

101 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

High Tide is a character-driven drama that succeeds in challenging traditional gender hierarchies. By centering the plot on a woman's professional failure and her confrontation with past familial obligations, it avoids common clichés and prioritizes female-driven ability to act. However, the film lacks diversity in terms of race, ethnicity, or LGBTQ+ identities. The narrative appears homogeneous, with little evidence of broader cultural representation. Ultimately, the film's strength lies in its refusal to present a sanitized version of family life, though it remains limited by a lack of broader cultural representation.

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Category Breakdown

Does High Tide have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film does not include any explicit representations of LGBTQ+ identities or characters. While the protagonist's outsider status hints at potential for exploring non-traditional domesticity, there is no confirmed LGBTQ+ representation.

How does High Tide portray gender?

Good

The narrative centers on women's roles and the complexities of womanhood. By focusing on motherhood, career instability, and grief, the film places women at the emotional and plot-driven helm.

How racially and ethnically diverse is High Tide?

Limited

The story appears to focus on a localized, small-town coastal setting. There is no explicit evidence of a multi-ethnic or non-white cast within this mid-80s drama.

How does High Tide represent religion and culture?

Good

The film challenges the sanctity of the nuclear family by portraying maternal failure and abandonment. It prioritizes personal emotional truth over idealized, traditional depictions of parenthood.

Does High Tide include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no evidence of characters with visible or invisible disabilities within the narrative.

Present on Screen

Strong focus on women's roles and the complexities of womanhood.
Challenges traditional gender hierarchies by centering female-driven emotional landscapes.
Deconstructs conventional maternal archetypes through a realistic portrayal of abandonment.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit evidence of racial or multi-ethnic diversity.
Provides no clear representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-traditional characters.
Shows no evidence of characters with visible or invisible disabilities.

Official Synopsis

A backup singer gets stranded in a small coastal town after losing her job in a band. She winds up in a caravan park only to encounter, by accident, the teenage daughter she deserted following her husband's death.

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