Proibido Homens

Men are obsolete. In the 1950s women start to get pregnant on their own, and give birth only to girls. The world doesn't need men anymore. This isn't the only bad news for males. An uptight, extreme and conservative female coalition is in power, and payback is harsh. The few remaining men are locked up in "sanctuaries" and darted with tranquilizers if they dare to leave. Their food is laced with estrogen to keep them docile. Menstral cycles are synchronized and the world becomes one big sorority house. At 37 years old Andrew is the youngest man in the world. He is a fluke and anomaly, born when women are giving birth solely to girls. He has a permit to leave the sanctuary and live as a domestic worker with the family of Terra and Iris. When Iris starts a relationship with Andrew, the two create a media firestorm. As with Alice in Wonderland, Gulliver's Travels and other satires, this alternative history and mockumentary helps us step outside of ourselves and see the world from a different perspective.

It is enlightening as well as hilarious, and slightly scary and unsettling, to imagine this role reversal. Who would have thought a professor of men's history would ever be needed?! While the film is limited in terms of depth, funding and acting, I thoroughly enjoyed the out-of-the-box thinking and puns about human nature. It is good that this is just a fantasy (and yet I know a few women who would like this world to happen, at least for men who don't instantly agree with them). Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival 2015.

It is fascinating to me how such a simple film became so controversial. It took a pretty basic concept (some would say a rip-off of Children of Men) and blasted onto the scene as a simple yet intriguing mockumentary on gender relations.

If this had come out ten or fifteen years ago, there wouldn't have been anywhere near the controversy. But, maybe that's what the film was going for. It meant to stir up discussion. If that was it was going for, I imagine the film was trying to say that both men and women are important in society.

But, what's great in this film is that is has so many layers. Could it be a parable for homosexuals? Is it a cautionary tale? Is it meant to put men down? Or perhaps it's meant to proliferate gender stereotypes? Maybe it's just a simple comedy? If any one of these were true, this film might not be so special, but seeing as all these elements combine, this film is very profound.

Decided to write this review because of another review where the reviewer obviously did not understand the concept of a mockumentary. This is the Turkey, the dressing, gravy and mash potatoes! The complete saga of another reality where men become obsolete; that's the mcguffin. The real story is what the women of the world make of that, and the men too. Told in the manner of documentaries that go back and forth, present day and past, as the info is needed, the story does build and the ending isn't predictable. The acting is great - everyone - which means the writer/director did a great job. There are so many scenes so well done it was an absolute pleasure to watch and laugh along with everyone else in the audience when we recognized ourselves and the things we do. But we also recognize the foibles of our generation, the previous ones, and many of the decisions made for stupid reasons. How women were/are treated, aboriginals, bears wandering into cities and, of course, Australians.

Full disclosure: I am female but I wouldn't necessarily identify as a feminist - I call myself an 'equalist' (partly because I have both a son and a daughter).

Anyway...I hadn't heard of this film and knew nothing about it beforehand...but I really bloody enjoyed it. I think the first scene I properly laughed out loud was when Andrew was hanging up the women's underwear - I can't remember exactly what he said but that was when I knew this was the sort of comedy that I like.

The casting and acting was perfect. I can't remember the last film I watched where I was so badly rooting for a couple of characters to get together at the end.

I do understand why some folks wouldn't like this film, but for me it is just refreshing to actually something different from most other films. Obviously this was a mockumentary, but it was also a sci-fi film, as well as being a rom-com, of sorts.

Summary: I just thought it was all round clever little film, which was also bloody hilarious. And I would definitely watch it again. Also - I watched it with my other half (male) and he thought it was funny as well, because thankfully he isn't the sort of bloke to feel that his masculinity could be threatened by a film.

I wanted to watch this movie just to see what their overall take on an all female world would be from a completely science fiction standpoint. Also because I wanted to see how outlandishly wrong they would be. I must say that it was humorous in some places and did take an interesting spin on things but ultimately I think the movie was designed, and flavored, to be funny to feminists, liberal/progressive types, or those men who believe everything feminists say about men.

It had some funny moments that I chuckled at but constant pushing of men being stubborn, stupid, lazy, and overall incapable of doing anything that a woman could do better got old. The only "digs" at women were that they weren't very concerned with technological innovation...as a trade off, women achieved world peace and electric cars(?). You can mix in a few other themes such as obvious references to gay marriage and such as well, but primarily, this movie was meant to entertain feminists.