Louis Theroux's Manosphere Documentary Criticised as a Flawed and Frustrating Failure
Louis Theroux's latest Netflix documentary, Inside the Manosphere, has been branded an infuriating failure by critics. The film, which marks his first project under a new deal with the streaming giant, sees the presenter attempt to navigate the toxic online subculture known as the manosphere, but he is repeatedly outmanoeuvred by its key figures.
A Clash of Media Worlds
There is something profoundly unnatural about the collision of legacy media with the modern internet, akin to a mismatched and awkward encounter. Theroux, a beloved figure in television's old guard, employs his signature method of gentle, observational needling. However, this approach proves utterly ineffective against an online culture defined by apathetic immorality and a relentless pursuit of attention.
Throughout the documentary, every wry question from Theroux is met with obfuscation typical of TikTok-brained influencers. Every attempt at a revelatory 'gotcha' moment is blocked by a wall of what can only be described as protein-shake sociopathy. The result is a film where Theroux is depressingly bested by a swarm of individuals often characterised by their abrasive personalities and financial ambitions.
Exploring The New Sexism
Inside the Manosphere delves into what has been termed The New Sexism, a social ill cultivated on platforms like YouTube, live streams, and dubious apps. Here, men instruct other men on how to be 'better'—a term that, in this context, translates to embracing dead-eyed misogyny, degenerative opinions on gender and money, and the acquisition of status symbols like supercars.
Theroux encounters several figures from this world, including the 24-year-old influencer Harrison Sullivan, known online as HSTikkyTokky. Sullivan boasts about coaching boys to 'be f***ing boys,' teaching them how to make money, operate outside the system, and reject what he derides as 'soy boy gimp' behaviour. The documentary also features American streamers like Myron Gaines and Sneako, as well as British internet personality Ed Matthews, whose content spans fitness advice, conspiracy theories, and predatory stings.
Theroux's Ineffective Approach
As Theroux observes these individuals in settings like Marbella gyms and during live streams, he struggles to gain any meaningful insight. He frequently highlights their hypocrisy, such as Sullivan's simultaneous monetisation and disparagement of OnlyFans models, but these points are shrugged off. Sullivan openly admits to actions taken 'for clout' and views, gloating about the success of such strategies.
The documentary reveals a moral cesspool where financial gain trumps all else. Interactions with figures like Ellie Nutts, an OnlyFans model, go nowhere as she expresses indifference to outside opinions. Sullivan defends himself against charges of bigotry by claiming to employ gay and Jewish individuals, while troupes of women submit to debasement on streams to promote their own online profiles. The virulent sexism and antisemitism on display are appalling, yet rendered meaningless in an ecosystem that prizes pure attention above all.
Collateral Damage and Unanswered Questions
There are brief glimpses of the human cost of this culture. Gaines's girlfriend, Angie, is shown visibly uncomfortable with his plans for multiple wives, though her eventual departure occurs off-camera. Theroux also meets devoted followers living in hardship, clinging to the promise of future rewards from their 'success coach' idols.
However, the documentary fundamentally fails to serve a useful purpose. Theroux's intellectualising—pondering if absentee fathers are a root cause—falls flat. Worse, he becomes a tool for these influencers to boost their profiles. Sullivan, despite paranoia about Theroux's intentions, welcomes the exposure for the spike in his video views. Even Sullivan's mother questions the ethics of publicising her son's activities for profit, a point to which Theroux has no satisfactory answer.
A Bitter Conclusion
While Inside the Manosphere may have aimed to expose the manosphere as a realm of beasts and charlatans exploiting vulnerable men, it ultimately feels redundant. The documentary provides maximum exposure to individuals who view any attention as a victory, leaving a bitter and nasty aftertaste. In the end, Theroux laments Sullivan's crossover into the mainstream, a transition the influencer proudly attributes to playing 'the game of life' very well.
Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
