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Credit: Netflix
Netflix is always good for some quality contemporary documentaries. While people may gravitate toward its true crime offerings, an interesting one came out recently that I daresay is mandatory watching for anyone with young men living in their house. Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere investigates the rising trend in pro-masculinity influencers and the messages they’re selling to boys worldwide daily about the ideal male lifestyle.
I’m not a father to a young male, but as someone who works online daily, I thought I had a firm grasp on what these influencers were peddling and the “red pill” culture they advertise. After watching with my Netflix subscription, I didn’t even know the half of it, and I’m legitimately concerned many parents may have zero clue about some of the ideologies being pushed onto their young teens or adult men.
What is Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere About?
Famed documentarian Louis Theroux has made a career following many different walks of life and subjects. Here, Theroux shadows and interviews a number of male influencers with significant followings, both to challenge and demystify the alpha male lifestyle they’ve all made a healthy living promoting to their followers. These men thrive on the message that men have the hardest road in life, where “nothing is given,” so they must do what they can to maximize their looks and earning potential at any cost.
It also thrives on the rather misogynistic messaging that women offer very little in terms of value outside of their looks, and thus shouldn’t be respected as much. Theroux, who is very much against this line of thinking, sets out to question and challenge these content creators, asking them the tough questions about how much they subscribe to these messages they promote.
Ultimately, the influencers realize that Theroux is trying to catch them in hypocritical moments, and in turn, they try to expose his failings as a man to their subscribers. It ultimately devolves into proving his point more, or at least that’s how it looked to me.
It Offers A Sobering Look Into What The Younger Men Watching This Stuff Are Buying Into
Perhaps what was most shocking to me was not hearing some of the wild things these content creators promoted, but rather the amount of young men who appear in the documentary who idolize these people. A group of teens beg Sneako for photos in the street, and minutes later he’s promoting some wild conspiracy involving a secret cabal controlling the world from the shadows.
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There’s some concerning rhetoric these influencers are pushing that goes way deeper than the memes about being a “soy boy” and all that. Some of it is so upsetting that one influencer featured was unwilling to repeat some of it in front of his own mother.
That alone speaks volumes. It’s why I’d encourage anyone who makes a habit of watching 2026 Netflix shows and movies when they come out to make a point to watch Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere. That’s especially true if they have a young male in their life, and I’d recommend they get them to watch too so they can see some of the people they idolize presented in a different lens outside of live-streaming platforms.
My only disappointment with this documentary is that Theroux couldn’t convince Andrew Tate to participate, who is near the top of these influencers. Perhaps there will be a chance for a sequel, because I’d love for this documentary to get enough attention in the mainstream to justify one.
Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere is available to stream on Netflix right now. We here at CinemaBlend have watched a good number of impactful documentaries, so maybe after watching this, check out what we had to say about the new one featuring the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
