The Mask You Live In (2015)

The Mask You Live In: Directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. With Joe Herman, Michael Kimmel, Caroline Heldman, Tony Porter. Explores how our culture’s narrow definition of masculinity is harming our boys, men and society at large and unveils what we can do about it.

“Such an important topic, namely trying to get to the route of masculinity to understand more fully why good boys oft turn into bad men … and maybe, what we as a society, can do about this. But this documentary misses the mark, and turns out to be a confused, meandering, expose using irrelevant shock stats, several dubious commentators (and several excellent ones) and sadistic raw footage to villanise the male. The finger of blame is pointed at fathers, schoolyard bullies, schools, social hierarchy, TV, Hollywood movies, Internet Porn, Video Games, sport culture and rap. The message is that male dominance is endemic and pervasive, resulting in a small percentage of sensitive male teens become alienated, depressed, violent and possibly suicidal and *all* women being at risk of rape, violence and abuse. The female aspect needs exploration in a separate documentary, and to confuse the two in a documentary that masquerades as a factual narrative explaining the modern-male psyche is a big miss.”