The Last of Us (2023)
Film details
Drama · Neil Druckmann
Synopsis
Twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed, Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the United States and depend on each other for survival.
Verdict
Normalizes homosexual relationships with narrative skill; extreme graphic violence throughout the series.
In-depth analysis
The Last of Us is a series of exceptional technical craftsmanship that precisely leverages this quality to normalize homosexuality with a narrative effectiveness few productions achieve. Episode 3 deliberately constructs an emotive story of two men in a couple (Bill and Frank), presented as the sole glimmer of beauty and redemption amidst the apocalypse. The direction, performances, and music are calibrated for the viewer to identify without critical distance. Episode 7 naturally reveals that Ellie, the adolescent protagonist, had a romance with another girl, establishing this as part of her identity without possible debate. Both cases operate through emotional saturation: the work does not argue, it convinces. To this is added sustained and extreme graphic violence in practically every episode: infected tearing bodies, torture scenes, cannibalism with minors in danger. The TV-MA certification is insufficient to warn of the dual impact: constant visual cruelty and the ideological message regarding sexuality. Not recommended for families or for viewers without a formed critical judgment. Artistic quality does not mitigate the underlying concern.