Louis Théroux: L'Amérique interdite

I've seen most of Louis's documentaries over the years but I get the feeling he is losing his touch a little. He still asks the right questions but makes it too personal so the interviewees often end up swearing at him or kicking him out. His moral tone and inquisition gets on peoples nerves. The outcasts of society are an easy target. Perhaps a different or fresh approach is the way forward. And not in the USA again please.

Having been a fan of Louis Theroux's documentaries for years, I was waiting for this one.

I felt like it was less smart and less edgy than most of Louis' earlier work.

Felt kinda strange also to have Louis travel all over the world right after saying (for example) "He lives in Budapest" -> boom, he's over there.

But mostly, I felt like Louis looked tired of doing what some people call "his freak-show". He didn't seem very enthusiastic and/or interested in his subjects.

In his documentary series, the main protagonist is actually the presenter. In this case, Louis became very early on the "normal people's view" on the situations he puts himself in. This time, I didn't feel that connection.

But I guess after so many years, it's normal. Can't blame him.

Negative reviews brought to you by AF. Basically Louis asks the American Manlet Association basic questions about there beliefs and the levels of cope is unreal. It's funny to watch supposed irony trolls sweat profusely... "No you can't just quote me I was being ironic" LMAO what a bunch of cowards.

This is a very controversial documentary, but one that does not deserve a low rating like this. Given what we have seen of many people in the first episode alone, it's unsurprising that people have given this a low rating either out of spite or because of their refusal to see things from another perspective. Louis shows things exactly how they are, but people with similar beliefs to those in the docuseries will naturally dislike the light that is put onto certain individuals and subjects. I also wouldn't be surprised if this was review-bombed by followers of some individuals in the series. I just find it very suspicious that a docuseries that raises very important points about American modern culture and the impact of social media in the US has gotten such a mixed response on iMDB.

'Forbidden America' follows Louis Theroux's familliar template, travelling to meet strange, often troubling people and letting them tell their own stories, for good or ill. One problem with the model is that his interviewees are often very aware of the context within which they operate; which makes the documentaries less exploitative, but also more perfomatative; the subjects all have their own reason for appearing. In this series, he meets violent rappers, white supremacists, and workers in the porn industry. At least two of these are familliar subjects for Theroux, and he's arguably more directly judgemental here than he has been hitherto. In places, the series is insightful, but as human beings, his protagonists aren't always that interesting, even though their societal role may be: they often come across as narcissitic and opportunistic grifters, whose personalities don't take that long to dissect. There are always moments of interest in Theroux's work; but also limitations to the personal approach.