Review | A24’s ‘Boys State’ challenges developing masculinity
“Boys State,” released in 2020, chronicles the experience of four boys at a Texas government program and presents the troubling aspects of what it means to be a man. Unsplash
“Boys State” is surprisingly compelling, incredibly funny and a poignant, relevant commentary on the current state of politics and of masculinity.
The 2020 A24 documentary follows the 2018 Texas Boys State, a nonprofit-sponsored program where teenage boys from across the state come together to elect their own representative government over the course of the week. After randomly splitting into two parties, “Nationalist” and “Federalist,” they have to nominate and elect a variety of state level officials – the highest office being the “Governor.” This premise might just sound like watching a bunch of kids compete at Model U.N., but it ended up being the most engaging thing I watched this year.
There are four main subjects in the film. Ben Feinstein, a Federalist and self-described politics junkie, is elected the party chairman. Meanwhile, the smart and charming Rene Otero is the Nationalist party chairman. The final two, Robert MacDougall and Steven Garza, both run for Governor.
The directors Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss do a fantastic job of getting you invested in these characters. Thirty minutes in, I already had strong opinions on all of them, already daydreaming of Garza’s inevitable presidential run. “Boys State” succeeds on one level where most documentaries fail – it is genuinely entertaining. I laughed quite a few times and nearly cried during others.
The film portrays toxic masculinity in easily identifiable ways: yelling, random push-up contests, and, as one of the boys puts it, “dick measuring.” What’s even more interesting is the discussion about what masculinity and patriarchy means in a modern context and the way that we see it play out in interpersonal dynamics.
“Toxic masculinity” has been utilized as a buzz term for “woke” men to acknowledge that there are men that are bad, without really holding themselves accountable. Toxic masculinity is not just an ambiguous thing that happens to others; it refers to the fact that our current culture and way we define manhood is problematic. The way young men are socialized to express manliness is the core of the problem – and that affects all men, myself included.
We see this aggression flow throughout “Boys State,” particularly in the “grab your pitchfork” mentality, similar to the theme of the book “Lord of The Flies.” There are countless examples of a mob mentality in “Boys State,” like when Garza, talking to another boy, remarks that he doesn’t like how “genderfied” Boys State is and that there should be a “people’s state.” The other boy comes back aggressively saying there is a “Girls State.” Garza backs down, diffusing the tension by saying he’s just “meme-ing” the other guy.
The small, funny, devastating moment shows a young man trying to express a value he believes in, and then the fear that he will be shunned for it takes over before he backs away.
In interviews in the film, a lot of boys open up about how they are uncomfortable with certain aspects of the program. Garza says he is a pretty progressive person and is surrounded by mostly conservatives. Otero gets a big laugh when early on, he says, “I have never seen this many white people … ever.” Even MacDougall runs for governor on a pro-life platform, but then in a private interview reveals he is actually pro-choice, not believing it a smart idea to announce that to the whole group.
The film deals with those conflicts in an incredibly nuanced way, because it also showcases the positive aspects of masculinity and a model for how men could act. When Garza speaks to a rowdy crowd and gets vulnerable, talking about how a school shooting near his hometown motivated him to get involved with “March For Our Lives,” he is celebrated by a large crowd of gun-loving Texans. After his speech, someone thanks him for being a voice of reason.
Toward the end of the documentary, when one of the gubernatorial candidates loses, there is a beautiful moment where members of his party come up to him, crying, still so proud of him for running a good race. In the midst of this large, swirling, storm of testosterone, there is a real moment of genuine brotherly love and compassion between these young men, providing a clear example of vulnerability and compassion for how young men should treat one another.
“Boys State” made me think critically about how we’ve been conditioned to grow up as men, and how those toxic lessons continue to play themselves out in personal and political contexts. If you want more proof, look at our elections.
