You are here:

How to Pull Out a Whale's Tooth

Name: How to Pull Out a Whale's Tooth
Director: Marie Poledňáková
Released: 1977
Duration: 80 min

Representation Score

3.3/10

Limited

1977

Director

Marie Poledňáková

Runtime

80 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

This 1977 Czechoslovak comedy offers a modest subversion of domestic norms by centering on a matriarchal household. The plot, driven by an eight-year-old boy seeking a new father for his mother, moves away from static patriarchal models. However, the film remains limited by its historical and geographic context. It lacks racial diversity and queer representation, functioning within the homogeneous ethnic parameters of its era. While it explores unconventional family structures, it does not engage with broader multi-layered identities or systemic social critiques.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does How to Pull Out a Whale's Tooth have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film does not include explicit depictions of non-straight relationships or queer-coded characters. It focuses on restructuring the nuclear family but does not critique the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does How to Pull Out a Whale's Tooth portray gender?

Fair

The story centers on a household driven by a child's significant role in the narrative. By focusing on a mother's romantic life, it challenges traditional patriarchal provider roles.

How racially and ethnically diverse is How to Pull Out a Whale's Tooth?

Limited

The production reflects a homogeneous Central European demographic typical of 1977 Czechoslovakia. There are no non-white characters or evidence of racial blending in the cast.

How does How to Pull Out a Whale's Tooth represent religion and culture?

Fair

The narrative deconstructs the traditional family unit through a child's attempt to replace a parental figure. It functions primarily as a domestic comedy without a broader systemic critique.

Does How to Pull Out a Whale's Tooth include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no evidence regarding the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent characters within the film's narrative.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional patriarchal roles by centering the domestic narrative on a mother and child.
Explores the deconstruction of the nuclear family through a child's unique perspective.

Limited or Absent

Reflects a homogeneous Central European cast, lacking racial and ethnic diversity.
Does not provide explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or neurodivergent characters.

Official Synopsis

Vasek, 8 years old boy is desperate to find a new "father" for his mother.

How are these scores produced? →