'American male' short film by Michael Rohrbaugh

'American Male'- Short film by Michael Rohrbaugh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ-Pyhk7GQA

Media Language

Representation

Audience

Narrative

Genre

American Male is a short film from MTV's Look Different competition. It is a 6 minute film that  takes a hard look at masculinity and homophobia. The narrative of the film is a unnamed protagonist preparing for, then throwing a house party. The focus of the film, however, ithe the narration, which accompanies the film and expresses feelings towards the image of masculinity and homophobia. The film gives a negative representation of the gender roles of America.

The opening scene shows the protagonist setting up cups for a later game of beer pong. The character is wearing a sleeveless shirt and his hat backwards. This associates him with the stereotype of being a 'frat boy'. The props in the background look old, and there is graffiti visible. This shows that this backyard has obviously been used for parties in the past, and the stereotype of a frat tells us that he hosts/attends lots of parties. The next shot shows him going to throw ping pong balls into the cups. The music crescendos, and the cuts quicken, as he misses 4 attempted throws. A dog barks in the background, and his facial expression in these quick cuts show that he is is angered about his bad aim. The music crescendos fully, then cuts as the protagonist is seen punching the table. This implies that he is angry that he cannot throw the ball into the cup. This could serve as a metaphor for fitting in, as beer pong is infamous at parties, and well associated with the frat boy stereotype. It could show that if something is popular or enjoyed by others, then if the protagonist cannot succeed in it, he becomes frustrated. It shows the frustration of not being good at something, or not fitting in with others.

The next scene opens with narration. The music continues at a steady pace after the crescendo in the previous scene. The narration over the top of the music first says "order beer; not wine. And beef; not chicken", This fits into the description of gender roles. The protagonist is telling roles that he follows in order to be masculine. Beer and beef are both typically masculine things, and he is saying that he sticks with them and does not settle for something more typically associated with femininity. The wording makes it sound like an order, and the subject of this instruction can bee seen as either the viewer or the protagonist himself. It can be seen as the narrator instructing the viewer on how to be masculine, or it can also be seen as the protagonist recalling what others have told him before on his path of becoming masculine. The next line that follows is "never light beer though. And no Tofu; can't get more gay than Tofu". This line emphasises the length of gender roles. He is saying that to be masculine, you should drink strong beer. The line about tofu emphasises that the gender roles only fit straight males. He is saying that he avoids anything that can be considered gay, because that would compromise his masculinity in the eyes of his peers.

The next scene shows him before the party, adding pre-workout and protein powder to a drink. This is typically a sign of masculinity, and shows how the protagonist keeps fit in order to appear more strong and less feminine. He says "steer clear of the arts, unless you live on the coast". This shows that there is a geographical variation on the idea of masculinity. From this, it is obvious that the coast is more accepting, and gender roles are not as enforced or as followed as where the protagonist lives. This shows that the narrator lives in an area that is not as open minded about gender. Following this, later in the scene the protagonist says "too much reading is risky, because it makes you look soft". There is a level of irony with this, as when he says that it is risky, the shot on screen is of a needle, filled with steroids (judging by the context of this scene). The irony being that while he views reading as risky because it makes him look soft, he has no problem with the myriad of health problems attributed to taking anabolic steroids. He clearly has a lack of judgement, and his priorities are in the wrong places. This also serves as a way of showing how intensely bound to his gender roles he is, as he is living a life with dangerous consequences, all so that he is comfortable with his appearance. Next, he says "women gesture more when they speak"..."when i was younger i used to gesture a lot, so I learned to keep my hands in my pockets". This shows that before in his life, he did things that would be seen as more feminine, and he has suppressed that. He shows that he suppresses anything that might compromise his image of masculinity, and that he has changed his own personality in order to be more masculine.

A later scene shows the narrator walking into the backyard, where the ping pong table was shown in the first scene. He walks over, his facial expression anxious, as it was shown earlier that he couldn't throw the ball in the cup. His expression changes to a more happy one, once he see other people there. he approaches the table, and manages to throw the ball into the cup. This shows that he is much more comfortable around other people. His inability to succeed by himself earlier, shows that he needs approval and encouragement from his peers in order to feel normal (masculine). He is then shown cheering and celebrating with his friends, showing that he relies on his ego in order to succeed.

Following this, are more shots of the party, accompanied by other differences outlined between masculinity and femininity. The final scene shows lots of frat boys around the table, later that night. They are taking turns spanking each other with a bat. This is shown as a show of masculinity, as they are cheering each over on. It is then the narrator's turn, and after striking once, the other man turns back around and pushes him. The protagonist looks alarmed and angry at this, that someone might challenge his masculinity or his strength. He proceeds to push him back onto the table, then repeatedly hit him with the bat, eventually being pulled back by his friends around him. Even as they Pull him back, he screams "faggot!" repeatedly. This shows him again trying to assert his masculinity, this time by taking out his anger on someone else. He uses the word 'faggot' because as already stated, being gay is not a sign of traditional or stereotypical masculinity, and by calling someone else this he is further trying to distance himself from appearing gay. The ending narrations says "I am no longer a person, but a set of social cues... Not a person, but a path of least resistance" This suggests that in his pursuit of masculinity, and acceptance from his peers, he has lost his own personality, and is an embodiment of male gender roles. The path of least resistance shows that it is much easier to follow the crowd, and to be what society wants you to be, than to be unique and different.

I think this works as a short film because it serves as a social commentary. It shows metaphorically, and physically, what obeying gender roles can do, and that people should be unique. The narrative does not follow Todorov at all, rather, the scenes act as a visual guide for the narration, which is the main focal point of the short film, as it conveys all the ideology of the problem it is addressing.