The Red Pill

Cassie Jaye is currently the bravest woman in Hollywood. Her new film, 'The Red Pill' has more testosterone in it than any Kathryn Bigelow movie. To call it a must-see is an understatement as she explores an area that will instantly outrage any card-carrying feminist and at a Q & A after the West Coast Premiere, Friday night, October 14, she reveals that making it cost her friendships and support from a community made up mostly of women who say they want to see more women filmmakers, but really only mean that if they're promoting material they approve of. Jaye cuts through the hypocrisy to bring us her personal experiences (a splash of narrative combined with a documentary format)when she stumbles upon a rabbit hole that swallows her up and forces her to question everything she believed in as a former feminist when searching the term 'rape culture' leads her to discover the world of the MRA. If 'The Red Pill' can't move you, your blinders are on way too tight.

As a Kickstarter backer, I received a pre-release digital copy. Overall, the documentary is nothing short of amazing. I follow the issues presented in the film with some regularity and I am the type of person who will seek out opinions of those I disagree with to learn where they're coming from. I feel that this is exactly what Cassie Jaye did in her film. She allowed both sides to make their arguments without putting in her own spin or bias...a rarity with documentary film makers and a very welcome surprise. Although I was already familiar with many of the issues presented, I still felt the heartbreak of some of the personal stories shared. For the uninitiated, some revelations will come as a shock. Imagine centuries ago when people thought the Earth was flat and the outrage that ensued when told it is actually round...in that time you were called a "heretic" or "blasphemer" for speaking truth to power while today it's overused terms like "misogynist" and "hate speech".

One small criticism I would have is that you could tell there is so much more to the stories presented but with the constraints of fitting everything into a 2 hour film, it is understandable that cuts and edits were done where they were. What I would advise anyone watching this documentary to do is to check out some of the interviews with Cassie Jaye (Youtube channels like The Rubin Report, Stefan Molyneux, etc.) and Q&A sessions done during the screenings of this film (can easily be found on Youtube by searching "The Red Pill Q&A") where you'll get to go a little deeper and more in-depth explanations on what both sides, the feminists and men's rights activists, believe and fight for. I can only hope that the special features included on DVD/Blu-Ray will fill in some of the minor gaps with more interview footage.

One of the most interesting things about this documentary is seeing filmmaker Cassie Jaye's personal struggle with having her feminist beliefs challenged through her video diaries which pop up here and there throughout the documentary. You can tell that she was genuinely having a hard time coping with having all of these statistics thrown at her that disprove what she believed in. At the end of it all, this is what makes this documentary more compelling, even more so than the heartbreaking stories and reality-shattering statistics from the men's rights activists.

If you're a feminist or simply believe women in the West don't get a fair shake compared to men, you owe it to yourself to have your views challenged and see if they stand up to scrutiny. What have you to lose? Your convictions will either be strengthened or you will come to terms with the fact that your beliefs were wrong and can take comfort in knowing that you now have the truth. Whether or not your beliefs remain the same, one thing is certain...you will be changed in some way.

Like Morpheus says to Neo in "The Matrix": I didn't say it would be easy, Neo. I just said it would be the truth...

This film is by no means perfect. It was sort of cheaply made, with some awkward editing, and lack of sound in many parts. I think one could argue that it fails to debunk feminism, but I would suggest that such was never the goal of the documentary.

The Red Pill is so great because it makes its audience think and consider something that isn't so obvious. It's a film that challenges its audience, and brings to light not-so-visible issues. That's the main draw. It is important for both supporters and enemies of the Men's Rights movement, and I think anyone who has an interest in feminism should see this movie, even if they can guarantee that they won't agree with it.

Another complaint I could include is that the documentary fails to talk about the internet culture of Men's Rights, where most are anonymous, embittered, and often misogynistic men.

Despite its problems, I would endorse the film and again encourage all who are at all interested in the subject to watch.

The Red Pill is a must see movie. Cassie Jaye was thorough, unflinching and relentlessly detailed in her research into the Men's Movement and in creating this lovely film. She patiently talked with and listened to many leading figures in the Men's Movement as well as several prominent feminists and held space for everyone's opinions.

It is difficult for most people to see beneath our culture's attitudes about male privilege and power to the myriad layers of problems and issues that run beneath that false front and to feel empathy for men based solely on their gender. I think Cassie Jaye's movie was the first attempt by a recognized documentary film maker to take on this task, and for that I am extremely grateful.

I found the movie,entertaining, fascinating and deeply emotionally moving, and I hope it will open the eyes of many to the plight of men and boys in our country and around the world.

Perhaps you believe that patriarchy is hegemonic, harmful to women, that it's still a man's world. After all, most CEOs and Congresspeople are still men. If you were my brother, sister, wife, etc., I'd urge you to see this film. Yes, you'll find support for your views---After all the filmmaker was a serious feminist. Also, the movie fair-mindedly interviews leading feminists, not just straw men/women. But your eyes will be opened to an enormous reality for 50 percent of the population that has been almost totally censored by the mainstream media. I'll admit that I found two hours a bit long. I wish it had been 90 minutes but then again, I'm impatient by nature. But even Type-A me feels it was well worth watching, no, essential watching.