The portrayal of class struggle in Money Heist
A series entitled Money Heist released in 2017 intrigued me to make it the subject of this study. The Series, directed by Álex Pina, tells the story of a group of people who come from backgrounds marked by poverty, instability, and exclusion. The series mainly revolves around a heist that also carries deeper themes such as class struggle, state control, and collective resistance. In this study, by using Karl Marx’s theory of class struggle, alienation, and lumpenproletariat, supported by Bell and Cleaver’s discussion of crisis, I examine how the characters’ lives reveal the structural inequality that shapes their choices. I found that the characters struggle because of economic precarity, social exclusion, and the lack of recognition from the system. Their decision to print money in the Royal Mint becomes an unconventional way to challenge the state’s monopoly over value creation. As the heist progresses, the group also constructs collective resistance by gaining public support and exposing the government’s manipulation and violence. The result of the analysis shows that Money Heist can be read as a critique of capitalism, where inequality and marginalization push people toward rebellion, and resistance emerges even under oppressive conditions.