Louis Theroux has defended his new Netflix documentary Inside the Manosphere against criticism that it gives a platform to controversial influencers. The 90-minute film examines figures such as Harrison Sullivan, Myron Gaines, Nicolas Kenn De Balinthazy, Justin Waller and Ed Matthews, who are reshaping young men’s ideas on masculinity.
Some commentators have questioned whether the show is right to feature these individuals and air their views on gender roles. The Independent said the documentary “ends up unintentionally giving many of them the mainstream platform they crave”, adding that it provides “maximum exposure to individuals who consider any kind of attention a win”.
Speaking during a Q&A session before the documentary’s release, Theroux disputed the use of the word “platform”. He argued it is a “clumsy descriptor of the different ways in which you can feature someone in a programme”. He explained: “You could have someone on a podcast and say, ‘Just tell me what you think for an hour.’ Or you can put them in a documentary and work really hard to give it a sense of context, of proportion, and push back with appropriate questions, which is obviously what I think we do.”
Theroux added that it is “appropriate for the film to feature moments judiciously in which they [the interviewees] express the version of what they really believe”. Mashable appeared to agree, writing: “If Theroux's documentary risks giving [the subjects] more attention, it also does a solid job of exposing what [they] are really about: profiting from their followers.”
The documentary has received plenty of acclaim elsewhere, with The Telegraph awarding a five-star review. The outlet wrote: “I don’t know how shocking Inside the Manosphere will be to people who are already inside it, but I was gobsmacked and appalled by the extent to which this regressive spiral has been packaged and sold [via] tech platforms that should know better.”
Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere is now available on Netflix.
