La Domination masculine

In Male Domination, Belgian filmmaker Patric Jean (b. 1968) investigates the sexism that would still appear to reign supreme in our society. He doesn't provide any comment himself, instead leaving that to doctors, Photoshop experts, artists, plastic surgeons, strippers, abused women, and anti-feminist men -- who all attest to a sexually unequal world. The film begins with the essence of masculinity: the penis and the need to increase its size. As one surgeon sees it, "A centimeter in the penis is a kilometer in the mind." Jean, who also directed the mine worker epic Les Enfants du Borinage (1999), proceeds to examine the stereotypical division of roles in children's books and toys, the consequences of domestic violence, and the 1989 Montreal Massacre, in which a 25-year-old man opened fire on female students at the École Polytechnique with the goal of fighting feminism. This journalistic documentary also consists of more artistic elements, such as the amplified sound of clicking heels on the street in contrast to the dull thud of men's shoes. In his defense of feminism, Jean also gives the floor to disappointed men, who say that there's no room to be a man anymore these days. In their minds, "Feminism is a crime against humanity." (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)