Drama, History  •  2025  •  122 min

Duse (2025)

Duse poster

Duse (2025)


Rating & Dimensions

Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Progressive
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Neutral
Family Values: Leans Progressive

Viewer Rating
6.6

Overview

Duse, directed by Pietro Marcello, is a biographical drama starring Valeria Bruni Tedeschi as legendary Italian actress Eleonora Duse, who after retirement feels an urge to return to the theater amid post-World War I Italy. Noémie Merlant portrays Duse's daughter Enrichetta Checchi, and Noémie Lvovsky plays Sarah Bernhardt.


Starring Cast

Noémie Merlant  •   Valeria Bruni Tedeschi  •   Noémie Lvovsky

Detailed Bias Analysis

Analyzing...
Leans Progressive

Primary

Political: Leans Left
Confidence: High

The film's portrayal of Eleonora Duse's entrapment by Mussolini's regime underscores art's vulnerability to fascist exploitation, establishing its left-leaning stance through this critique of authoritarianism.

Diversity: Moderate
Confidence: High

The film employs traditional casting with a white ensemble for its historical Italian subjects. Its narrative explores the life of pioneering actress Eleonora Duse, incorporating subtle feminist and anti-fascist elements without centering explicit critiques of traditional identities.

Secondary

LGBTQ: Neutral
Confidence: Low

The film includes a minor queer character in Eleonora Duse's troupe who encounters homophobia during the interwar period's darkening social climate. This incidental element highlights external prejudices without centering queer experiences or providing affirming arcs, resulting in a neutral overall portrayal.

Family Values: Leans Progressive
Confidence: Medium

Marcello's biopic entwines Duse's late-career resurgence with filial estrangement, where maternal rebuffs and shunned kin underscore art's dominion over domestic ties. This formal elegy to vocation tacitly critiques parental precedence in family life.

Trans: N/A
Confidence: Medium

No transgender characters or themes are present. The biopic traces Eleonora Duse's post-war stage comeback, highlighting her artistic passion against political upheaval, as seen in her interactions with figures like Mussolini.

Female Combat: N/R

The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.

Gender Swap: No
Confidence: High

The biopic portrays historical figures Eleonora Duse, Gabriele D'Annunzio, and Sarah Bernhardt with actors matching their documented genders, yielding no instances of gender swaps.

Race Swap: No
Confidence: High

Portrayals of historical figures including Eleonora Duse by Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Gabriele D'Annunzio by Fausto Russo Alesi, and Sarah Bernhardt by Noémie Lvovsky align with their documented white European racial backgrounds, resulting in no race swaps.


Viewer Rating Breakdown

6.6

Viewer Rating

Combines user and critic ratings from four sources

User Ratings

IMDB logo
5.9
The Movie Database logo
6.8

Critic Ratings

Rotten Tomatoes logo
7.0
Metacritic logo
N/A

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