Netflix’s #1 Documentary Is Wildly Controversial—and It Has People Terrified

This one's a doozy

Into the Manosphere Netflix
Courtesy of Netflix

Netflix’s latest chart-topper is a bit of a curveball. The platform usually leans toward buzzy psychological dramas or twisty thrillers, but right now, it’s a documentary that’s taken the No. 1 spot and it’s sparking plenty of conversation. The film? Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere.

With rare access and a no-filter approach, the acclaimed documentarian dives into the world of the “manosphere,” a growing online network centered around ultra-masculine ideals and controversial influencers. The doc features figures like HSTikkyTokky (aka Harrison Sullivan), Myron Gaines and Justin Waller, offering an unfiltered look at the content, and rhetoric, circulating in these spaces.

MANO 00 27 46 02 Edit
Courtesy of Netflix

“The manosphere describes a group of almost exclusively male influencers who provide content about fitness, business, and self-improvement,” Theroux told Tudum. “Many of them are relatively mainstream, but at the edge is a community of figures whose views are much more extreme, and that’s the focus of the documentary.”

Since its March 11 release, viewers have been vocal and not necessarily about the filmmaking itself. Instead, much of the reaction centers on what the documentary reveals about modern culture, particularly the messages being amplified to young men and boys.

"Terrifying. And as I’m raising a son on my own, very very important to be aware of," one user wrote on Reddit.

Over on Rotten Tomatoes, where the documentary holds a solid 74 percent average, reactions follow a similar thread.

"Well-done documentary about toxic masculinity that is bathed in unproven dangerous conspiracy theories," one person shared. "Many of these manosphere young men are proud to be in one-way monogamous relationships. It was informative in a disturbing way."

"The frightening part is the culture of young impressionable men who buy into their crap and the way tech companies push this content through algorithms."

A third viewer kept it simple: "Easily Louis' best documentary. Insightful, terrifying, hilarious. Important."

Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere is now streaming on Netflix.

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