Y
A documentary about men and masculinity.
Emerging out of a personal exploration of fatherhood, Letter25 digs deep into the ways that male gender constructs are undergoing radical transformation. Men are struggling to make sense of who they are and what their role is, at home, in the workplace, in public, and in private.
Playing catchup in a rapidly shifting society, men are finding that their concepts of masculinity are often out of synch with both economic realities and social expectations. Certainly gender constructs are out of synch with personal feelings.
We begin the journey with fathers.
Men, when becoming dads, are revisiting their relationship with their own fathers, altering and editing their roles, and implementing parenting in unchartered territories. With little guidance and embedded in a culture where men don't share, dad's are are trying to navigating parenthood in isolation It is a journey that can feel lonely and alienating. But there is also tremendous opportunity for liberation from the "man-up" culture of the past.
Frank puts a priority on being present for his son and daughter
Synopsis
Y re-examines masculinity in a rapidly evolving society. Cultural Materialists such as anthropologist Marin Harris note how changes in the economic foundations of a society have a trickle-down effect on social organization and ideology. The process is one of negotiation. Y delves into the nuances of the current social dialogue taking place. We explore the chaffing points, where old ideologies remain, out-of-synch with current realities. Layered on this are generational differences in perspective and gender constructs. .
Production Notes
We combine traditional in-depth interviews with ethnographic sensibilities in the production of Y. The intent is to cut the documentary into a number of different forms for different audiences. I concise general audience edit will be cut along with a more in-depth analysis intended for inclusion in gender studies courses.
Along with the documentary, a longitudinal in-depth national survey is being designed and fielded to augment our research, a survey that looks at the specific issues we are exploring in depth.