Exploring Masculinity in Modern Cinema: A Crisis Unveiled

Exploring the crisis of masculinity in modern society through in-depth analysis of characters in American Psycho, Fight Club, Nightcrawler, Taxi Driver, and Drive.

### Analyzing the Crisis of Masculinity in Modern Cinema
* 🎥 Movies like "American Psycho," "Fight Club," "Nightcrawler," "Taxi Driver," and "Drive" explore the theme of **masculinity in the modern age and its challenges**.
* 🤵 Characters like Patrick Bateman, Tyler Durden, Lou Bloom, Travis Bickle, and the Driver struggle with **conformity, societal expectations, and their own dual identities**.
* 💥 They exhibit extreme behaviors in their quest to **fit in, rebel against consumerism, or find a sense of purpose and heroism**.
* 💔 Ultimately, these characters lose touch with reality, humanity, or face **tragic consequences** due to their struggles.
* 🔄 The crisis of masculinity portrayed in these films reflects the challenges faced by many men in a **capitalist and consumerist society**.
* 🌍 The concept of masculinity is ever-changing and context-dependent, but it is essential to "**reject modernity and embrace masculinity, but only as long as you can maintain your humanity**".
* By combining the positive traits of these characters, such as **Patrick Bateman's routine**, **Lou Bloom's work ethic**, **Travis Bickle's humor**, **Tyler Durden's charisma**, and **the Driver's bravery**, one can approach an **ideal of masculinity**.
* 📽 To explore more movies that delve into similar themes, viewers can check out "**Good Time**," "**Fallen Angels**," and "**Another Round**" on Mubi, a curated streaming service that offers **a new film every day**.

this video is brought to you by movie get a whole month free at movie.com. Do cinema fight club has been warning us. The idea of what it means to be a man is destabilizing a modern society. Recently, a lot of characters have gained renewed interest among young men, calling them literally me. By analyzing those movies that dive deeper into the psyche of men, maybe we can get a grip on why men find them so relatable and understand the so-called crisis of masculinity. What does it mean to be a man in a modern age? Okay, let's start with the most important theme in American Psycho: conformity. Because at its core, that's what this movie is all about. Patrick Bateman is living a fancy lifestyle as an investment banker on Wall Street. He's living healthy, eating a balanced diet, and doing rigorous exercise routines every morning. He's applying thousands of layers of beauty products to craft the perfect version of himself. Why? Because he simply wants to fit in. I want to fit in down to the haircuts, the suits, the

business cards. It all shows that these men think they're individual and unique, but they aren't. However, the lyrics of the song Heres to the Square explains that it's okay to be normal because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity and the importance of trends. It's also a personal all right, that's got it there you see. In Fight Club, they don't like conformity that much. Gentlemen, welcome. Tyler Durden is the god of masculinity, trying to break the main character free from his conformance lifestyle and boring job. The narrator is suffering from insomnia and is obsessed with creating a self-image that is socially acceptable. Similar to Patrick Bateman, he doesn't really have a way to express himself in a society where everything is a copy of a copy of a copy. All he does to feel unique is turn to consumerism and buy furniture that he felt defined him best as a person. Director David Fincher said, We're designed to be hunters, and we're in a society of shopping. There's nothing to.

kill anymore. Nothing to fight, nothing to overcome, and nothing to explore in that societal emasculation. This everyman is created. Patrick Bateman and the narrator in Fight Club create consciously or unconsciously alter egos that allow them to exhibit their masculinity and escape a culture that no longer accepts such behavior. Not the only two characters that have been struggling with this duality of a man because in Nightcrawler, Taxi Driver, and Drive, the main characters are also on the verge of frenzy just like Patrick Bateman's urge to fit in. Both Travis Bickle and Lou Bloom are trying to fit into society by getting a regular job, but because they don't really have the premier education to fit this ideal of an office job, Travis starts working as a taxi driver late at night to deal with his insomnia. After Lou Bloom gets rejected, he starts night crawling as well and finds a way to make money out of filming crime scenes. There are actually many parallels between these two movies. Not only is the poster of

nightcrawler, an obvious homage to Taxi Driver. Both characters are also very ambitious and goal-oriented men that are capable of doing anything, and I mean anything, to eventually reach their end goal. Lou lives in modern-day LA in a time where everyone is obsessed with personal gain and success. This causes him to create a form of predatory masculinity, hunting down his prey like a lone wolf every night in order to film the crime scenes and sell them to the news stations. His greed is good mentality makes him persistent and uses this to become the top predator in his business. He is kind and respectful for the sake of social acceptance but very narcissistic and tunnel-visioned for his own financial gain. Lou Bloom literally goes to that animal state of masculinity and releases the beast within man. He even looks like a hungry predator that uses his manipulative instincts to trap and catch his prey. Similarly, Travis Bickle drives around the dangerous and dirty streets of New York City at night. Travis is a forgotten

and ignored victim of the working class through the rise of capitalism in big cities. One day, he hopes to clean it all up and become the hero of the city. All the animals come out at night. Someday a real reign will come and watch all this scum off the streets. Travis feels lost by the city life, and after getting rejected by Betsy, he starts to cut and pace together what he believes is a masculine heroic identity. He starts training like a soldier, handling guns like a cowboy, and dressing up like a veteran - all pop cultural elements that form his idea of a hyper-masculine hero that'll be there for the people. But in reality, he starts to become ultra-violent and reckless. This hyper-masculinity is one that relies on ancient ideas of heroic behaviors, such as being a knight or cowboy that rescues princesses and fights the bad guys, which makes Travis live a life between fact and fiction - a walking contradiction. You saying that about me? Well, who else would I be talking about?

Travis gets caught up in this duality of a man, which is slowly sending him down the wrong path. This brings us to the movie Drive because similar to Taxi Driver, it involves the notion of portraying the masculinity of a hero versus being a real hero. The driver is a stunt man and mechanic by day, but at night he works as an independent getaway driver for criminals. A stunt driver's job is to literally maintain the illusion of the hero in a fictional film, and the driver therefore spends a good time of his life pretending to be a hero. In an interview, Ryan Gosling adds, I think Driver is somebody who's seen too many movies, and he's made himself the hero of his own action film. He's just kind of lost in the mythology of Hollywood. But as soon as the driver meets the perfect girl, Irene, it gets very interesting, and a crossover between Travis Bickle becomes more apparent. The driver starts to feel pressure because of his contradictory lifestyle. On the one hand, he doesn't want to take

part in the patriarchy of the criminal world and chooses to be a silent, emotionless, and nameless character. On the other hand, he's repressing his humanity, but meeting with Irene is his way of reclaiming it. However, it's not that easy to escape from the criminal world. My hands are a little dirty. It's all mine, just like Travis Bickle, who's surrounded by impure and evil beings, becomes obsessed with saving a 12-year-old prostitute named Iris. The driver feels a sense of protectiveness for Irene as well and will do everything, even resorting to extreme violence, to protect Irene and her child because it is exactly the purity and innocence that both of these characters have lost that they are now trying to rescue and protect. Where Travis Bickle and the driver differ is that Travis wants to leave his mark on this world, but the driver just wants to be happy and the same for his loved ones. However, they both have the opportunity to become a real hero.

opposed to being only a faceless and imaginary one. But as suggested with the lyrics of the soundtrack in Drive, a real hero is also a real human being, and that's something all of these characters have lost on the way. Patrick Bateman's obsession with trying to fit in caused him to express himself in extreme manners, and in the end, made him lose touch with humanity. I had to. She almost got away. I mean, I guess I'm a pretty sick guy. Fight Club turned into a self-operating group with a cold following that now wants to overthrow all power structures in society, caused by the narrator's alter-ego. Lublum's mind is poisoned by capitalist society and the media turned him into a beast, leaving every moral code for the sake of money. In the end, Taxi Driver's past serving in the Vietnam War combined with his insomnia causes him to lose touch with reality and leads to his descent into madness. And the driver, well, maybe he is the real hero after all, but his suppressed

emotions alienated him so much that in the end he had to sacrifice everything he had fought for. All of these movies delve into the crisis of masculinity caused by conformity in a capitalist and consumerist world. It only makes perfect sense that young men who are navigating through the world would find solace in watching these movies, as it represents an extreme example of what they experience on a day-to-day basis. This may seem unhealthy to some, but it offers men a piece of media that they can hold close in a world that so often shies away from representing these topics in a way that isn't explicitly villainizing. You're a real cowboy, that's nice. So to come back to my first question, what is masculinity in the modern age? Well, they often say reject modernity and embrace masculinity, but that is only as long as you can maintain your humanity. You look lonely. What it means to be a man will be a forever changing concept depending on the time and place you live in on this world, but for now, what I think is that

if we were to take the good characteristics of all these men, we can create an unstoppable character with the morning routine and style of Patrick Bateman, the work ethic of Lou Bloom, the humor of Travis Bickle, the appeal of Tyler Durden, and the bravery of the Driver. I think we'll get pretty close to what it means to be a man. If you want to watch and discover more movies like these, you can check out Good Time, Fallen Angels, and Another Round, which are all streaming on Mubi right now. Mubi is a curated streaming service and a place to watch beautiful cinema every day. Mubi premieres a new film from iconic directors to emerging authors, so there's always a wide variety of choices. With Mubi, each and every film is hand-selected, so it's like your own personal film festival streaming anytime, anywhere. I work anytime, anywhere. We work Jewish holidays anytime, anywhere. You can try Mubi free for 30 days at mubi.com. Do cinema, that's mubi.com. Do cinema for an entire month of great

Why Men Love "Literally Me" Characters

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The Crisis of Masculinity in Modern Cinema

Movies like American Psycho, Fight Club, Nightcrawler, Taxi Driver, and Drive explore the theme of male conformity and the struggle to fit into society.

The characters in these films grapple with the pressure to conform to a certain ideal of masculinity, leading to internal conflicts and desperate attempts to find their place in the world.

The directors of American Psycho and Fight Club depict a society that suppresses traditional masculinity, pushing the protagonists to create alter egos as a way to express their true selves.

Similarly, Nightcrawler, Taxi Driver, and Drive portray main characters who resort to extreme measures in a quest to achieve societal acceptance and success, reflecting the ongoing crisis of masculinity in the modern age.

The Portrayal of Predatory Masculinity in "Nightcrawler" and "Taxi Driver"

The characters of Lou Bloom and Travis Bickle are depicted as highly ambitious and predatory men, driven by a relentless pursuit of their goals.

Lou embodies a form of predatory masculinity in modern-day LA, using manipulative tactics to capture footage of crime scenes for personal gain.

On the other hand, Travis Bickle in "Taxi Driver" represents a lost and ignored individual who adopts a hyper-masculine identity in an attempt to become a heroic figure, ultimately becoming ultra-violent and reckless.

Both characters symbolize the dark side of masculinity, blurring the lines between reality and fiction in their pursuit of power and significance.

The Duality of Masculinity in "Drive" and "Taxi Driver"

The movie "Drive" explores the conflict between portraying a hero and being a real hero, similar to "Taxi Driver.

" The driver leads a double life as a stuntman and a getaway driver for criminals, struggling with his identity and desire to protect the ones he loves.

The character's journey mirrors that of Travis Bickle from "Taxi Driver," both seeking to rescue and protect the purity and innocence they have lost, but with different motivations.

The Crisis of Masculinity in Capitalist Society

The characters in "Drive," "American Psycho," "Fight Club," and "Taxi Driver" all struggle with losing their humanity in a capitalist world.

These movies resonate with young men navigating through similar experiences, offering a reflection of the crisis of masculinity.

The films provide a unique portrayal of these topics without explicitly villainizing them, providing a sense of connection for the audience.

Creating the Ultimate Male Character & Exploring Similar Movies on Mubi

A combination of Patrick Bateman's morning routine, Lou Bloom's work ethic, Travis Bickle's humor, Tyler Durden's appeal, and the Driver's bravery is seen as the ideal man.

Good Time, Fallen Angels, and Another Round are recommended movies similar to those mentioned, available for streaming on Mubi.

Mubi is a curated streaming service offering a wide variety of hand-selected films for a personal film festival experience, with a 30-day free trial available.