Masculinity in Contemporary Cinema

Join us for this one-day course looking at how contemporary cinema constructs, critiques, and reimagines masculinity. Through case studies including American Psycho, Top Gun: Maverick, and Brokeback Mountain, we’ll examine toxic, traditional, queer, and progressive masculinities on screen, combining film analysis with gender theory to discuss how modern films challenge or reinforce cultural ideas about manhood.

This course offers an accessible exploration of masculinity in contemporary cinema, analysing how films represent, question, and redefine ideas of manhood. Through a blend of film theory, gender studies, and practical analysis, participants will investigate how toxic masculinity, traditional versions of ‘manliness’, and emerging progressive identities are communicated through narrative, character, and film technique.

Case studies - including American Psycho, No Country for Old Men, The Expendables, Top Gun: Maverick, and Brokeback Mountain - provide a diverse foundation for understanding the complexities of masculine identity on screen in modern times.

Across the course, learners will engage with discussions around power, vulnerability, queerness, performance, and cultural change, gaining insight into how cinema both reflects and shapes gender politics.