Beta Boys

Six films that all take their own approach to peering into the minds of boys and men, that explore the fragile and less readily apparent side of masculinity, because not every guy is an alpha male – and that’s just fine. In Pitbull, Mexican director Fabián León López sends his protagonist on a difficult journey of discovery on which the experience of new sexual pleasures shakes his male identity. Each of us has a vulnerable spot, and it’s good to have someone close to help protect it. Finn‘s Heel is a touchingly delicate student film about friendship by director Cato Kusters from Belgium. In Alpha Kings, a documentary by American directorial duo Faye Tsakas and Enrique Pedráza-Botero, a group of friends shows off their lithe, masculine bodies on the internet. Norwegian director Eivind Landsvik’s summer coming-of-age miniature with the fitting title Tits explores the subject of self-acceptance. Yann Gonzalez’s Hideous, one of the most remarkable short films of the past year, is a spectacular musical confession by British singer Oliver Sim. And Denmark’s To All My Friends by director Behrouz Bigdeli (who won the Special Jury Prize at Pragueshorts 2021) tells the story of two punk friends who reach a turning point in their life.