Introduction
In her second work, director Jennifer Siebel explores the problem which can be called “education of masculinity in men.” The analysis of the issue begins with a rather easy step: the recognition that there is no need to hide feelings, but boys all over the world have been taught completely different truths since childhood. “Be a man!” is the motto of raising boys in the modern society. “Be a man!” is the phrase that puts into itself so many various contradictions and restrictions that are supposedly useful for raising children. In fact, however, they are the main reasons for the destruction of the world both inside and around a person. “Be a man!” is an order, a sentence, and a curse for boys and men everywhere. Hide one’s feelings, own women, drink and smoke, never cry, earn a lot of money, do not let emotions out, never hug or kiss other men – a million angry “no” and disease-causing, dubious “yes”.
Issues Discussed in the Movie
The analysis of the situation in the course of the plot turns into a picturesque image of the catastrophic delusions of a society and culture mired in their own stubbornness and denial of everything feminine. The culture imposes on the characters the denial that women are people too – they are intended to recognize females as pieces of meat intended for sexual intercourse. At this point, human biology and behavioral psychology come into view, dissecting the premises behind societal gender expectations. The director managed to dig so deep that the most diverse and important aspects of the problem were touched upon – from animal instincts to the influence of the media on the masses. The movie shows the culture of toxic masculinity as a global vice of the public, portraying how protagonists suffer from it even more than the immediate victims of their behavior. The culture demands it customary to not show one’s real self, but to put on a fictional and learned persona to survive, which ultimately leads one’s true identity to fade.
It is the issue of problematic communication that gives boys a false characterization of masculinity. From there, various types of discrimination grow: racism, nationalism, homophobia, and other twisted ways to rise above the rest in the world. The issue of communication here lies, for example, in the constant assurance that men should be “manly”, and never go against their own savagery, or try to be normal, accept, and love other people. Throughout the movie, characters experience negative emotions: their nature comes into conflict with the expectations of society, as they are forced to adjust to the gender expectations. When the boys are asked to write what feelings they are repressing, it is “anger” and “pain”, and they even tear up from the discomfort it brings them. The dissonance between the necessity to display a strong, traditionally masculine image of themselves every day clashes with the inherent human need to let oneself feel and show emotions, bringing the characters to constant frustration.
Conclusion
People create the social expectations and influence each other, which is why it is important to discuss the matters such as toxic masculinity and unjust gender or other stereotypes. It is easy to shape a child into an “ideal” version of a man or woman by breaking their character. However, if a person is broken from the start, they will hurt and break other people in the future. They will break their own children, which is even worse, as the vicious circle will continue. The right attitudes grow from the familial and social relations, from the correct representation of humanity in the environment, as people are made up of what they see and feel every day. Thus, it is ultimately important to reshape and restructure the harmful ways of toxic masculinity and other “traditional” views. People put on masks to appear stronger – but so many have been taught since childhood to hide the pain while it slowly devours them until the moment when it spills out into new conflict.