The Red Pill

source: The Red Pill

I just finished watching The Red Pill for the fourth time. I hosted a screening of the film at a local theater the first time, showed it to my friends for my second viewing and watched it alone the last two times. I was nervous about watching it the first two times because I was in essence showing it to people, and it was very overwhelming seeing all of it on the big screen with so many of my friends, finally sharing with them what matters to me and what I'm passionate about. I thought and my friends have told me that it was really effective at introducing men's issues to people who might not have heard of it before, helping them understand both the depth and the scope of many issues as well as humanize many of the men's activists who have been so maligned by the media. It wasn't until my third viewing that I was brought to tears, watching it alone, when Fred Hayward was playing guitar to his son after we found out that he wouldn't see his son again. I think that is an example of what a good film does, you see and feel different things upon different viewings. I started to notice how subtle many of the ways Cassie conveyed the ideas to the audience, for example contrasting the jumping and cheering of people at a feminist event to the shouting of curses and harassment at police officers and attendees of Warren Farrell's talk when she wanted to make the point that we happily let women's issues be heard from the rooftops but shame and silence those who bring light to men's issues. I started looking at men's issues around the same time Cassie started making this documentary, I was at one of the events in the film and many of the people in the film have become not just my heroes, but my friends. So I am biased, because this is a very personal film to me, but I believe this is one of the most important documentaries ever made, and agree with someone who said that Cassie will go down as one of the most influential person in history in the centuries to come.

In case you wonder how I can rate and comment before the actual release: As a KickStarter backer I have a prerelease copy and did actually see the film before writing this comment. Like most KickStarter backer I wanted that Cassie Jaye can finish the film without interference from any involved groups so she can create an unbiased and fair documentary. That was also the only promise she made to the backer. And I have to say I am very pleased with the result. I loved how Cassie Jaye let all her interview partner talk without undo interruption giving then every chance to make there point or talk themselves into oblivion – as some did.

This is serious work and joyful to watch. Despite the prickly subject, there is a strong current of hope running throughout thanks to our remarkably likable narrator and her willingness to entertain new ideas. Functionally, it's a superb introduction to MRA issues and an important cultural snapshot. It's also very well directed and credit must go to Cassie Jay for her excellent pacing, structural editing and measured tone. This is not a bombastic, meme-riddled, sarcastic or facetious propaganda piece that simply attacks feminism, the kind that plagues online discussions. It is mercifully straightforward. I particularly liked the shots of Cassie simply listening to her interviewees and quietly thinking on camera. It communicated a lot. Her cast is first-rate, with voices from many decades ago and some key cultural voices of today. There's a good mix of the righteous, the infuriating and the informative. As others are saying, it's a must-see. Tolerant, thoughtful, powerful and, dare I say, chivalrous. Cassie even has the balls to reach a conclusion (pun intended) and her emotional journey will be one familiar to those who have taken the red pill themselves. Brave stuff. I can't wait to see her next documentary!

As a Kickstarter backer, I received a pre-release digital copy. Overall, the documentary is nothing short of amazing. I follow the issues presented in the film with some regularity and I am the type of person who will seek out opinions of those I disagree with to learn where they're coming from. I feel that this is exactly what Cassie Jaye did in her film. She allowed both sides to make their arguments without putting in her own spin or bias...a rarity with documentary film makers and a very welcome surprise. Although I was already familiar with many of the issues presented, I still felt the heartbreak of some of the personal stories shared. For the uninitiated, some revelations will come as a shock. Imagine centuries ago when people thought the Earth was flat and the outrage that ensued when told it is actually round...in that time you were called a "heretic" or "blasphemer" for speaking truth to power while today it's overused terms like "misogynist" and "hate speech". One small criticism I would have is that you could tell there is so much more to the stories presented but with the constraints of fitting everything into a 2 hour film, it is understandable that cuts and edits were done where they were. What I would advise anyone watching this documentary to do is to check out some of the interviews with Cassie Jaye (Youtube channels like The Rubin Report, Stefan Molyneux, etc.) and Q&A sessions done during the screenings of this film (can easily be found on Youtube by searching "The Red Pill Q&A") where you'll get to go a little deeper and more in-depth explanations on what both sides, the feminists and men's rights activists, believe and fight for. I can only hope that the special features included on DVD/Blu-Ray will fill in some of the minor gaps with more interview footage. One of the most interesting things about this documentary is seeing filmmaker Cassie Jaye's personal struggle with having her feminist beliefs challenged through her video diaries which pop up here and there throughout the documentary. You can tell that she was genuinely having a hard time coping with having all of these statistics thrown at her that disprove what she believed in. At the end of it all, this is what makes this documentary more compelling, even more so than the heartbreaking stories and reality-shattering statistics from the men's rights activists. If you're a feminist or simply believe women in the West don't get a fair shake compared to men, you owe it to yourself to have your views challenged and see if they stand up to scrutiny. What have you to lose? Your convictions will either be strengthened or you will come to terms with the fact that your beliefs were wrong and can take comfort in knowing that you now have the truth. Whether or not your beliefs remain the same, one thing is certain...you will be changed in some way. Like Morpheus says to Neo in "The Matrix": I didn't say it would be easy, Neo. I just said it would be the truth...

Not many times do we find a documentary that has the ability to seriously alter the mindset of society, this is one of those films that manages to do exactly that. Great movie for those who have already "swallowed the Red Pill" or those curious about what the MRA movement is all about. Not only does it use commentary from those for the MRA movement, but it also balances it out with commentary from those who oppose it. I highly recommend this film for anyone curious about the MRA movement,and those who already follow the ideology. Red, Blue, and Iron pills, among others can enjoy this film and the value it brings to the table. Cassie did a great job keeping an open mind, and challenging her own belief system, it really takes a lot of gumption to do what she did. 10/10 stars

Finally got my copy of the movie "The Red Pill" :) And really: Everybody should see it! It's a really good documentary where everybody gets their say and nobody is bashed and facts are checked. The viewer can learn something and make up their own mind. It should be shown in every school, even I know it will be a very long time before this might happen. I expect that decades from now we will look back at the woman who got into gender issues because as a teen-actress she was always cast as "the blond that dies". Then she became an award winning feminist documentary filmmaker. And then at only 28, made the groundbreaking movie that triggered the changed in the mainstream gender-discussion from blaming and silencing to an actually equal dialog that made the world a better place.

I just watched the movie on the day it was made available to Kickstarter Backers like myself right after I came home from work, and what an emotional roller-coaster ride it is! I've been aware of the Men's Right Movement and all the other Red Pill movements for several years now, though I don't follow any of them regularly anymore, so very little in the movie was new to me, but that's fine since this documentary doesn't require any prior knowledge. What I can say is that it gave an excellent representation of the movement, there's hardly anything I've missed sans the co-opting of feminism by Marxism pretty much since its inception, though that would probably have been too advanced since you would have to explain Marxism, the Frankfurt School and Critical Theory in order to do that, which would be a great documentary on its own. There was a hint of it though, it was mentioned that the women's movement shifted the main blame from capitalism to patriarchy early on, so kudos to that. I've known all about the harrowing cases of injustices men face in the justice system and the themes of male disposability, men as victims of domestic and sexual violence (though boys being sexually abused by women are hardly mentioned at all, she should have included more here) and male paternal rights, yet watching these made me as mad as I had been hearing about them the first time. The most harrowing thing she showed were the screams of a baby boy being circumcized, and I can't thank Cassie Jaye enough for being courageous enough to include these in the movie, anyone talking down the horrors of male genital mutilation after watching this deserves to rot in hell (female being equally horrific, but far more stigmatized, and it's great that it's as stigmatized as it is). Also mentioned towards the end, and again I can't thank Cassie enough, is how feminists have fought any progress on men's rights whatsoever even in the most egregious, barbaric cases and continue to do so, though this could have been expanded on more. It also raised the question of why feminists and MRAs aren't working together, and besides the aforementioned stonewalling from feminists (and the not mentioned Marxist nature of the feminist movement) the great Karen Straughan weighs in on this with her trademark analytic brilliance. The MRAs featured in the movie all did a great job of presenting their case, the only one I missed was Janet Bloomfied, though maybe her supreme Shitlord qualities might have been a little too much for some. What surprised me was that Chanty Binx alias "Big Red" actually comes off better here than I've expected, actually spouting some half truths mixed in with the Marxism. She and two other prominent feminists are featured and they get to make their case, though they weren't shown being asked any tough questions. All in all Cassie absolutely kept her promise of giving the Men's Rights Movement a fair shake, which I was skeptical of until I saw the movie. This movie is also about her personal journey being a feminist making a movie about the MRM, and from reading other reviews I had been afraid that the movie could be too much about her and to little about the subject matter, but this is absolutely not the case, the way she handled this was perfect, I can't praise Cassie enough for this or for the movie!

I first found out about this project several years ago, even before Milo put out a call to help Cassie get funding. It's been a long, almost agonizing wait, but boy was it worth it. Cassie Jaye is an excellent documentarian. She gives both sides a chance to make their case and doesn't interfere. She does, however, keep a video diary of her experience making the film, and watching her journey and evolution through a series of diary entries is just as compelling as anything else in the movie. It was a good decision to do this. Her cameras capture moments of every hue and shade, from maddening and frustrating to deeply touching. Very compelling stuff. If I had to pick a favorite moment, I would be torn between two. Karen Straughan at around the 1:41:00 mark, where with exquisite timing and razor sharp logic she delivers a coup de grace like only she can. It's the summary of a video she did a few years back, and her point is just as compelling now as then. The other candidate would be the very last line of the movie, delivered by Cassie Jaye herself. Thank you, Cassie, for having an open mind and dealing with some cognitive dissonance. I think men all over the Western world are going to owe you a debt of gratitude. This means a lot, and the documentary was fully as superb and entertaining as it deserved to be. God bless.

Yet another subject,addressing another aspect,of America's polarization? After decades of overwhelming feminism(and vicious hypergamy)this country(and others)has suffered,fearless Cassie Jaye tackles topics that can potentially worsen(if that's possible)or dismantle male/female relationships like never before.The feminization of boys.The alienation of fathers.The unfair court rulings.The growing plague of unwed mothers.The delinquent teens this creates.The fact that only a handful of women can admit this out-of-balance view.The denial of truth recognition and how it results in the childish,emotional feminist outbreaks.The assessment of the male condition is one that has been avoided.Like a cancer,it has only festered through it's neglect.It's gone from acceptable,to uncomfortable,to genuinely taboo.And as a result of this taboo status this avoidance is a sign that if it cannot even be looked at,it just might signal the degree of it's significance.