The MTV competition requires up-and-coming filmmakers to step outside the norm and focus on a topic of privilege.
When his character says in the film: “Steer clear of the arts, unless you live on the coasts,” it is a gentle but necessary reminder that liberals and city-dwellers remain blissfully ignorant of what life is like for most of America. Such is the triumph of Rohrbaugh’s film and why this is a must watch. It’s tough to watch, and must be even tougher to live. Living life isn’t easy for the student as he is shown struggling with attraction to his fellow frat brother and overall unhappiness at suppressing his identity. Michael Madden & Rob August in American Male (Youtube) In a voice-over, the student explains how he has carefully crafted his persona to appear as masculine as possible and schools the viewer on the behaviors of women and men.Īt one point he explains how women gesture more and that as a child he would gesture a lot, but trains himself to stop. Shots of the college student performing stereotypical masculine activities such as working out, attending frat parties and drinking beer are shown throughout. The film, directed by Michael Rohrbaugh, follows a frat boy who is working overtime to present as hyper-masculine.
