I’ll start us off with:
-
Aftersun - If you’re not into slice-of-life indie films, probably give this one a miss. It’s a slow paced exploration of the relationship of a non-custodial father with his daughter encapsulated in an overseas summer vacation.
-
Close Enough - If you like adult animation but you’re tired of the cynical tone that characterizes the genre give this one a try. It centers on the misadventures of Millennial parents in LA just trying to make things work out in this crazy world. It might be hard to find now that HBO axed it, but I think it’s worth the search.
I like this idea of promoting media that isn’t actively trying to tear us down or perpetuate caricatures of us. Shout out to the Castlevania series on netflix. A series that has deep and complex male characters of all types who evolve and go through their own journeys throughout the series.
These suggestions are pretty mainstream and probably reflect my age demographic:
- Bob’s Burgers - This might be a bit debated but it’s still going, and I find this show to be such a refreshingly non-dysfunctional take on a family cartoon sitcom. Rather than an incompetent idiot or antagonist, the Gen-x Bob takes the role of the set-upon dad who occasionally gets a bee in his bonnet in a very relatable way. His relationship with his son, Gene, is beautifully honest and direct.
- husband-and-wife team action comedies - You may have noticed a recent, small genre of these, including Shotgun Wedding, Murder Mystery 1&2. They’re not great action movies and they’re very formulaic. But they depict couples who actually respect eachother (or come to do so) working as a team, without gender politics being a thing.
- Star Trek Picard (seasons 1 and 3) - after Discovery, I was ready to give up on the whole franchise. Season 3 particularly gives us old and new male characters with depth and heart. I particularly like it when a male character is introduced as if he will be a one-dimensional stereotype, but then we get to relate to his point of view.
These are slightly older, but I can’t go past the Lord of the Rings trilogy (positive, wise, strong male characters to balance the negative), Disney’s Onward (surprisingly sincere story about two brothers), and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (depicts the handover from one era’s masculinity to another with grace and honesty).
I just saw Everything , everywhere, all at once, and was very pleasantly surprised that, even though it is centered on two female characters, it does not for a second use feminist talking points of “men did it”, and concludes in part that the hero is unsatisfied in life because she has failed too see how wonderful her husband is.
Secondhand Lions is really good.