Manodrome

English below

Ralphie har hatt det bedre. Etter å ha mistet jobben prøver han å skrape sammen pengene til å støtte sin gravide kjæreste som Uber-sjåfør, men begge føler seg usikre overfor fremtiden som foreldre. Da kompisen inviterer ham til å møte en gruppe venner, tas han i et miljø der menn støtter hverandre. Møtet med dem vil endre ham, men er det for det bedre?

Med Manodrome tar regissør og manusforfatter John Trengrove opp ekstreme syn på hva maskulinitet er og hvordan det skal uttrykkes, med sektmekanismer som utgangspunkt. Det er en reise i eskalerende sinne og vold, sett gjennom øynene til en ung mann som er langt mer sårbar enn det han ønsker å innrømme.

While Trengrove’s skill is apparent in the slow build of tension, it also stands out in the arguably more impressive way that he holds Ralphie’s view of the world separate from that of the film’s.

Chris Barsanti, Slant Magazine

John Trengrove (f. 1978) er en sørafrikansk regissør, manusforfatter og produsent. Hans debutfilm The Wound(2017) skapte store kontroverser og ble midlertidig forbudt i hjemlandet, men mottok internasjonal anerkjennelse og vant til sammen 27 priser. Manodrome er hans andre langfilm, og hans første engelskspråklige film.

Jesse Eisenberg and Adrien Brody star in this drama-thriller about an insecure young man drawn into a cult like“family” where masculinity and male freedom is paramount.

Ralphie has been better. Recently let go from his work, he has taken up a job as an Uber-driver to support his pregnant girlfriend, but both feel conflicted about their future as parents. When his buddy invites him to meet a group of his friends, Ralphie is brought into an environment where men support each other. The meeting will change his life, but is it for the better?

With Mandrome, writer-director John Trengrove takes on extreme views on what masculinity is and how it should be expressed, using the mechanisms of cults as the point of departure. It spirals into escalating anger and violence, viewed through the eyes of a young man who is far more vulnerable than he wants to admit.

John Trengrove (b. 1978) is a South-African director, writer, and producer. His debut feature The Wound (2017) generated great controversy and was temporarily banned in its country of origin but received international critical acclaim and won 27 prizes. Manodrome is his second feature, and his first English-language film.