This film takes a vital look at how boys become men in 2019. It revisits the moments from toddler to teenager—familiar to many boys and their parents—that shape the life of a young man. From the moment he’s told that “boys don’t cry” at an early age, he’s molded to fit an outdated construct of masculinity and to look and act in a way that betrays what he really feels. As the film progresses, we see in tragic detail how a boy with such brilliant potential is emotionally compromised—slowly and deliberately formed to become nothing more than an alpha predator.

The direction of this film is nuanced. To convey the boy’s transformation and spiral into toxic masculinity, the direction used several parallels. For example, the scene where the young boy takes off his shirt in the locker room, shying away from his friends, contrasts with the moment when he’s older and more defiant, confidently removing his shirt while facing his friends in the same locker room. Colour was also used to aid in the storytelling and reflect the boy’s emotional spectrum. At first vibrant and strong, the colours become harsher and more artificial as he descends into toxic behaviour. Authenticity was paramount and every scene was designed and shot by our director to ensure a believability that would make the film more powerful.