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The Mask You Live In

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The Mask You Live In
Film poster
Directed byJennifer Siebel Newsom
Written byJennifer Siebel Newsom
Produced byJennifer Siebel Newsom
Release date
  • January 5, 2015 (2015-01-05) (Sundance Film Festival)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Mask You Live In is a 2015 documentary film written, directed, and produced by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. It premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. The film explores what Newsom perceives to be harmful notions about masculinity in mainstream American culture. The film addresses similar themes on identity as her 2011 documentary Miss Representation, such as the impact of gender socialization and gender representation.

Background

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Newsom's inspiration for making the film came from becoming pregnant with her son.[1] In an interview she said, "It was really important to me that I could nurture a son who could be true to his authentic self, who wouldn't always feel like he had to prove his masculinity. There's so much loneliness, pain, and suffering when one is pretending to be someone that they're not."[2] Newsom raised $101,111 on Kickstarter towards making the film.[3]

Reception

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The film received mixed reviews and currently holds a 60% on Rotten Tomatoes.[4] Collider's Matt Goldberg recommended that the film be required viewing in classrooms, yet had an overall negative reaction to the movie and its evidence.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Lang, Brent (January 23, 2015). "Sundance:'The Mask You Live In' Examines America's Boy Crisis". Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  2. ^ Mechanic, Michael. ""Be a Man." What Does That Even Mean?". Mother Jones. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  3. ^ Newsom, Jennifer Siebel. "The Mask You Live In". Kickstarter. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  4. ^ The Mask You Live In, Rotten Tomatoes, retrieved 2016-06-29
  5. ^ Goldberg, Matt (26 January 2015). "The Mask You Live In Review". Collider. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
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