My animated musical short—Hey Men!—examines the epidemic of male loneliness in modern culture. I’ve explored similar themes in my earlier work but, with this film, I make a direct observation about the potential outcomes of this sadness, drawing on a point of view inspired by complex relationships from my past.

I can think of no better example than the childhood dynamic I shared with my father. Having served as his emotional confidant during an especially tumultuous time, I had a close-up view of his unravelling, which, in contrast to his outwardly hostile public persona, revealed a secret sorrow that he would only share with me.

This experience was revelatory as it cemented in me a set of contradictory truths: my father can be filled with contempt for the world while at the same time crave affection from within it, underscoring the ways in which hate is simply the affliction of a wounded soul. Operating within a gendered system of power, young men are taught that stoicism is the antidote to their suffering, and it is within this context that contemporary fascism has taken root.

In the film, alt-right extremists are rendered with the disarming appeal of a Disney-esque commercial style as the characters sing about their emotional vulnerability, revealing how the technique can become both a tool of empathy and manipulation. Musical theatre tropes are re-contextualized through a populist lens, elevating the human drama of the early 2020s to expose the raw emotion stewing beneath the spectacle, and offering us a fresh perspective on how we got here.

The language of community, self-care, and freedom have been co-opted to reinforce a false dichotomy of “us versus them” by those who seek to divide us. As a countermeasure, we must work to understand the conditions under which radical ideologies thrive. I see the opening for a new conversation that directs a spotlight back on the greedy individuals (Elon, Rogan, Bezos, Trump) who are either too hateful or too stupid to comprehend the full effect of their actions on society, and animation is uniquely suited to critique the cartoonishness of our predicament from within the medium itself.

While most people want to do good in the world, our conception of what is good can be swayed most easily in the minds of those who have not fully examined their own pain. By holding up a mirror to male grief, Hey Men! draws attention to the ways in which political and financial opportunists aim to exploit this vulnerability to the detriment of us all.

And so, I invite the viewer to experience a friction-filled emotional paradox that is so deeply felt, it cuts to the murky core of our shared humanity. Although it seems unnatural to empathize with fascists, do not mistake this stance as conciliatory to the movement: to bear witness to another’s suffering—as the object of their hate—is one of the most powerful deradicalization tools we have.

Through the making of Hey Men! I recognize that I am firmly placing myself in the line of fire; as a woman filmmaker, that fact is not lost on me. However, the methods we are currently using to address issues of violent extremism are not working, so it is time to flip the script. To be empathetic means to stick around long enough to objectively witness the grief of another which, given the politics of our present moment, feels like a radical act that is worth pursuing.

Although I was never able to reconcile the differences with my own father, his vulnerability gave me the perspective I need to do justice to this project. The stakes could not be higher, as they are a matter of life and death. I believe that if ever there was ever a time to be creatively brave, this is it.

TABITHA FISHER

Writer, Director, Producer | Hey Men!