Inside The Manosphere is a documentary about the rise of toxic masculinity/misogyny on the internet particularly focusing on influencer culture. Presenter Louis Theroux interviews and shadows various manosphere goons attempting to discourse with them logically and making faces at their more egregious declarations.
The movie is composed of social media clips and footage of Theroux as he follows various influencers observing and interviewing them. Visually it's not particularly original or dynamic but with this kind of doc cinematography isn't really a focus and ultimately doesn't detract from what it's trying to get at. But what is that exactly? Other than letting these guys regurgitate their poisonous talking points and Theroux looking surprised and/or disgusted he occasionally challenges some of their views in conversation(which is something) but there's not as much of a pointed indictment as this kind of ugliness should solicit(in favor of attempting to take a more humanist view ie most of them didn't have dads and/or were abused) nor is the broader cultural context in which these twisted Peter Pans exist much investigated nor their, and more broadly this movements, effects on women.
It all feels mostly superficial, simply scratching the surface, the attitude boils down to "how crazy is this right?" with Theroux as the straight man, in some ways mirroring the same tactics as these influencers. Without more nuance, analysis, and context this could be viewed as providing a more mainstream platform for these worms.
Currently streaming on Netflix.
Stream It.
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