{"id":553661,"date":"2023-02-18T21:45:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-18T18:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/manodrome-review-jesse-eisenberg-and-adrien-brody-in-overwrought-toxic-masculinity-thriller\/"},"modified":"2023-02-18T21:45:00","modified_gmt":"2023-02-18T18:45:00","slug":"manodrome-review-jesse-eisenberg-and-adrien-brody-in-overwrought-toxic-masculinity-thriller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/manodrome-review-jesse-eisenberg-and-adrien-brody-in-overwrought-toxic-masculinity-thriller\/","title":{"rendered":"#\u2018Manodrome\u2019 Review: Jesse Eisenberg and Adrien Brody in Overwrought Toxic Masculinity Thriller"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a23a39b2ab4f\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a23a39b2ab4f\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/manodrome-review-jesse-eisenberg-and-adrien-brody-in-overwrought-toxic-masculinity-thriller\/#%E2%80%98Manodrome_Review_Jesse_Eisenberg_and_Adrien_Brody_in_Overwrought_Toxic_Masculinity_Thriller\" >\u2018Manodrome\u2019 Review: Jesse Eisenberg and Adrien Brody in Overwrought Toxic Masculinity Thriller<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/manodrome-review-jesse-eisenberg-and-adrien-brody-in-overwrought-toxic-masculinity-thriller\/#Manodrome\" >Manodrome<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/manodrome-review-jesse-eisenberg-and-adrien-brody-in-overwrought-toxic-masculinity-thriller\/#Full_credits\" >Full credits<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/manodrome-review-jesse-eisenberg-and-adrien-brody-in-overwrought-toxic-masculinity-thriller\/#THR_Newsletters\" >THR Newsletters<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%98Manodrome_Review_Jesse_Eisenberg_and_Adrien_Brody_in_Overwrought_Toxic_Masculinity_Thriller\"><\/span>\u2018Manodrome\u2019 Review: Jesse Eisenberg and Adrien Brody in Overwrought Toxic Masculinity Thriller<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n    John Trengove\u2019s searing 2017 debut, <em>The Wound<\/em>, explored the complex world of Xhosa masculinity via adolescent initiation rites that exposed thorny conflicts of sexuality and personal identity. The protagonist of the South African writer-director\u2019s first English-language feature, <em>Manodrome<\/em> \u2014 played by a febrile Jesse Eisenberg in an eye-opening performance simmering with rage \u2014 is already fully inducted into the uneasy halls of manhood and finding it an uncomfortable fit. Barely scraping by financially and staring ahead at an unpromising future, the damaged Ralphie reaches for a lifeline with a shadowy cult of male separatists, which only makes his hold on reality unravel faster.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n    What Ralphie goes through over the course of this absorbing enough but bludgeoning portrait of corrosive masculinity makes him both victim and monster. Recently laid off from a corporate maintenance job, he\u2019s struggling to make ends meet as an Uber driver and wondering how he\u2019s going to provide for the child his girlfriend Sal (Odessa Young), a convenience store worker, is expecting.<\/p>\n<div class=\"review-summary-card\">\n<div class=\" lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column@mobile-max lrv-u-padding-a-125 u-background-color-honey-light \">\n<div class=\"lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column u-width-275@tablet u-border-b-1@mobile-max u-border-r-1@tablet u-border-dotted lrv-u-margin-r-150 lrv-u-padding-r-150 lrv-u-margin-r-00@mobile-max lrv-u-padding-r-00@mobile-max lrv-u-padding-b-125@mobile-max lrv-u-margin-b-075@mobile-max\">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  lrv-u-font-family-primary u-font-size-34 u-font-size-38@desktop-xl lrv-u-line-height-small lrv-u-margin-b-125 \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Manodrome\"><\/span>\n<p>                    Manodrome       <\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>                    <span class=\"lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase lrv-u-font-family-accent lrv-u-font-weight-bold lrv-u-color-brand-primary lrv-u-font-size-16 lrv-u-display-block\">The Bottom Line<\/span><br \/>\n                    <span class=\"c-span  u-font-size-22@tablet u-font-style-italic lrv-u-font-family-secondary\"><\/p>\n<p>    Manhood bites.<br \/>\n    <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"lrv-u-line-height-large a-children-icon-spacing-none lrv-u-font-family-accent lrv-u-font-size-18\">\n<p>                            <strong>Venue<\/strong>: Berlin Film Festival (Competition)<br \/><strong>Cast<\/strong>: Jesse Eisenberg, Adrien Brody, Odessa Young, Philip Ettinger, Sallieu Sesay<br \/><strong>Director-screenwriter<\/strong>: John Trengove<br \/><span><br \/>\n                                1 hour 36 minutes           <\/span>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n    Young makes the most of a character increasingly looking at her partner and discovering, with growing alarm, that she doesn\u2019t know him at all.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n    Even the prospect of fatherhood <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ears to be something Ralphie \u2014 who wanted the child more than Sal did \u2014 approaches as another means to pump up his fragile masculinity, much like his strenuous body-building sessions at the gym. In the post-workout selfies he takes, or when admiring himself in the images on a bank of televisions in an electronics store, we see the narcissist desperate for his own approval.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n    Showing vulnerability is anathema to him. When anyone expresses sympathy for his job loss, financial woes and the looming responsibilities of becoming a parent, he lapses into the flimsiest impersonation of self-confidence: \u201cI\u2019m just taking time to stay focused and centered; trying to keep my options open.\u201d But Ralphie seemingly has no options; he\u2019s like a <em>Fight Club<\/em> refugee without the physical catharsis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n    His inner turbulence is especially palpable at the gym, where his intense scrutiny of a Black Adonis named Ahmet (Sallieu Sesay) sends mixed signals. The furious scorn he directs at an amorous gay couple he picks up on his Uber shift makes it clearer that repressed sexuality and internalized homophobia are part of his toxic cocktail of psychological instability. Abandonment issues seeded by his father\u2019s early exit from his life are another source of unresolved angst.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n    None of that makes Ralphie pleasant company to spend an hour-and-a-half with, although watching Eisenberg \u2014 mildly buffed up and sporting flame-red hair \u2014 trade his usual neurotic tics for a more bruising intensity is never uninteresting. But does Trengove want us to be terrified by him or pity him for his susceptibility to an extreme ideology that tips this already damaged Alpha Male manqu\u00e9 over the edge, transforming him into a violent sociopath? Maybe both.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n    The turning point for Ralphie begins when his gym buddy and Oxy supplier, Jason (Phil Ettinger), offers to hook him up with a group of guys who can help him get back on his feet. Being reluctant to acknowledge that he\u2019s even in difficulty, Ralphie is skeptical at first. But the words of solidarity and understanding expressed by the leader of this \u201cfamily,\u201d Dad Dan (Adrien Brody), are soothing to his ears. Recognizing Ralphie as someone who\u2019s lonely, angry and never had anybody in his corner, silver-tongued Dan says, \u201cThere\u2019s a staggering beauty in you. A cataclysmic power to create and to annihilate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n    Dad Dan\u2019s clan, apparently part of a nationwide network of similar groups, is an incel sect in every way except that they congregate in person at a palatial old house instead of online, and they voluntarily abstain from sex, rather than just seething because they can\u2019t get laid. Acolytes like Jason introduce themselves at meetings, adding the prefix Son or Dad to their names, depending on age and seniority, and proudly stating the length of their celibacy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n    Abstinence is about taking back power, Dad Dan explains, as men in the group confessional talk about the ways in which the wives or girlfriends they have since dumped were a noose around their necks \u2014 deceiving them, draining their strength and self-confidence. Predictably enough, the \u201cC word\u201d comes up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n    This is where Trengove\u2019s script gets heavy-handed in its depiction of a poisonous cult of men whose obscene entitlement is matched by their sense of victimhood, demonizing women for everything that ever went wrong in their lives. The chant that accompanies their ritualistic saging \u2014 \u201cI invented fire, and I will take it back. I discovered the sun, and I will take it back,\u201d etc. \u2014 slips further still into eye-roll territory. By the time Ralphie is fully inducted, which involves a branding iron and a cool symbol, you might be stifling laughter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n    \u201cWith this pain, I, Son Ralphie, will be released from the Gynosphere to be reborn, my own master and a son of the Manodrome,\u201d he intones solemnly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n    While Brody brings effortless authority to his role as the soft-spoken but creepy cult leader, the film has more or less jumped the shark by the time we get a full picture of what his retreat for wounded men is all about. The action then begins a tragic spiral as Ralphie is revealed to be beyond repair, responding all too literally to Dan\u2019s urging to take back his power and do something about the trash-can world, \u201cteeming with assholes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n    Eisenberg makes Ralphie a tightly coiled knot of repression, resentment and aggression, often shot by cinematographer Wyatt Garfield in probing closeups that amplify his combustible state. It\u2019s to the actor\u2019s credit that he <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly rises above the lofty self-seriousness of a movie that aims to sound the death knell on toxic masculinity \u2014 fast becoming the most hackneyed term of the 21st century \u2014 by showing us the pathetic, broken boys behind that fa\u00e7ade. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n    Movements like #MeToo and Time\u2019s Up prompted an overdue re-examination of unhealthy male behaviors, even if the jury\u2019s still out on how much of a corrective they\u2019ve brought about. It\u2019s also unclear who the audience is supposed to be for the wave of downer <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">movies<\/a> those movements have spawned about fucked-up men.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"review-full-cast \/\/ \">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  a-font-primary-xs lrv-u-border-b-1 lrv-u-border-color-grey lrv-u-padding-tb-050\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Full_credits\"><\/span>\n<p>        Full credits<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>            Venue: Berlin Film Festival (Competition)<br \/>Distribution: Universal<br \/>Production companies: Felix Culpa, Liminal Content, in association with Pulse Films, Riverside Entertainment<br \/>Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Adrien Brody, Odessa Young, Philip Ettinger, Sallieu Sesay, Ethan Suplee, Evan Joningkeit, Caleb Eberhardt, Gheorghe Muresan<br \/>Director-screenwriter: John Trengove<br \/>Producers: Gina Gammell, Ben Giladi, Riley Keough, Ryan Zacarias<br \/>Executive producers: Christian Mercuri, Roman Varas, Pia Patonnian, Brian Loschiavo, Pastor Alvarado, Jeff Molyneaux, Ryan Schemmel, Olivia Tyson, Edward Storm, Jennifer Storm, Casey Fuller, Robbie Gottlieb, Alexander Akoka, Clara Sansarricq, Michael Clofine, Len Blavatnik, Thomas Benski, Peter Kaufman, Nicolass Bertelsen, Michael Goodin<br \/>Director of photography: Wyatt Garfield<br \/>Production designer: Carmen Navis<br \/>Costume designer: Melissa Vargas<br \/>Music: Christopher Stracey<br \/>Editors: Julie Monroe, Matthew Swanepoel<br \/>Casting: Salome Oggenfuss, Geraldine Baron<br \/><span><br \/>\n                                1 hour 36 minutes           <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"newsletter-cta\">\n<div class=\"lrv-u-margin-tb-125 lrv-u-margin-tb-150@desktop-xl lrv-u-padding-tb-2 lrv-u-flex lrv-u-justify-content-space-between lrv-u-border-t-1 lrv-u-border-b-1 lrv-u-align-items-center lrv-u-flex-direction-column@mobile-max lrv-u-padding-a-2@mobile-max\">\n<div class=\"lrv-u-text-align-center@mobile-max\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  a-font-primary-xs lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"THR_Newsletters\"><\/span>\n<p>        THR Newsletters<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"c-tagline  a-font-secondary-italic-s lrv-u-margin-a-00 lrv-u-margin-b-150@mobile-max\">Sign up for THR <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> straight to your inbox every day<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>    <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"c-button larva  lrv-a-unstyle-button lrv-u-cursor-pointer lrv-u-padding-tb-075 lrv-u-padding-lr-150 lrv-u-border-color-brand-accent lrv-u-border-a-1 a-font-accent-bold-s lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase lrv-u-color-brand-accent u-margin-l-150@tablet\" href=\"https:\/\/cloud.email.hollywoodreporter.com\/signup\/\"><\/p>\n<p>    <span class=\"c-button__inner \"><br \/>\n        Subscribe   <\/span><\/p>\n<p>            <span class=\"lrv-a-screen-reader-only\">Sign Up<\/span><\/p>\n<p>    <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/plain\" class=\"optanon-category-C0004\">\n!function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) {\nif (f.fbq) return;\nn = f.fbq = function() {n.callMethod ? n.callMethod.apply(n, arguments) : n.queue.push(arguments);};\nif (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n;\nn.push = n;\nn.loaded = !0;\nn.version = '2.0';\nn.queue = [];\nt = b.createElement(e);\nt.async = !0;\nt.src = v;\ns = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\ns.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s);\n}(window, document, 'script', 'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\nfbq('init', '352999048212581');\nfbq('track', 'PageView');\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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The protagonist of the South African writer-director\u2019s first English-language feature, Manodrome \u2014 played by a febrile&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":553662,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/202310730_1-H-2023.jpg?w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[99387,138956,54824,138957,137279,31745,139372,7599],"class_list":["post-553661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-adrien-brody","tag-berlin-2023","tag-berlin-film-festival","tag-berlin-film-festival-reviews","tag-berlinale","tag-jesse-eisenberg","tag-odessa-young","tag-universal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=553661"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553661\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/553662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=553661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=553661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=553661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}