Gabe Magana Critical Film Analysis The Mask You Live In focuses on boys and men that are held to a masculine life and pretty much forced to follow manly stereotypes
Gabe Magana
Critical Film Analysis
The Mask You Live In focuses on boys and men that are held to a masculine life and pretty much forced to follow manly stereotypes. I believe that the purpose this film was made is to inform that men do not have to follow and do what society expects from them. The message this film gives is how to raise and guide a healthy generation of men, and show them to be themselves rather than try to be a figure that is not healthy. “The Mask You Live In” talks about that many gender traits are a social construct and that the images of men that boys receive at home and from television sports and video games encourages them to be dominant and to resolve conflicts with violence. It shows how boys are introduced to these stereotypes at such a young age which kind of manipulates them to be dominant and defensive and not show weakness. This film does not only talk about how boys are raised poorly, but how to help them and inform parents to guide their sons in the right direction.
The mask you live in, grabs the attention of the viewer by showing how boys turn out to be because of how they are raised. Not much is needed to know that boys grow up learning and feeling to be dominant and not show signs of weakness. The film also shows the viewers how boys at a young age are supposed to be a man instead of enjoying their childhood. The viewer’s worldview is expanded by the film because with all the statistics it tells and examples it gives, it informs viewers with new information that is not commonly known. The film affects my awareness because as a child I was also told to act like a man, not to cry, don’t act like a girl, although I never thought that these words parents teach young boys can affect them in the future.
In the film, there was many narrators throughout. The statistics and the interviewing of many people’s point of view, was what made up the narration and I think it made the film unique and more understandable rather than just having one person talk throughout the whole film
The structure of the film was very well done because it it made the film more comprehensible. The film started by explaining how boys are taught wrong and how making them follow a masculine life isn’t good. It later flows onto telling how the outcome is and later on showing stats on important points, like how many suffer depression, or how many end up in jail. Towards the end of the film it talks about how one can help guide parents and boys.
Overall I did enjoy this film because I was able to relate to many of the points that were mentioned and it informed me more of the real struggles that exist for boys and how it comes to affect them later on in their lives. I would recommend this film to anyone who is not so sure on what boys go through. This film also does a good job on explaining what parents, family members, and friends can do to help young boys to grow up healthy and out of the way of masculine stereotypes that are meant to be avoided. At the beginning of this film when they were mentioning all the phrases dads tell their sons, I was able to connect with because I was also told them too. However I did find it surprising how I never really ended up being violent or much affected the way the film mentions some of the boys turned out to be. This film in my opinion is great because it shows the possibilities that can happen even some aren’t affected.
