ABSTRACT
Although men have a ubiquitous presence in films, their representation remains undertheorized as a gendered construction in documentary films. This introductory chapter offers an overview of the study of men and masculinities in fiction and documentary films, accompanied by a description of the approach the volume follows in addressing their study. I combine Masculinities Studies and Film Studies methodologies, mainly following the theorization by Raewyn Connell and Michael Kimmel of hegemonic masculinity and the links between patriarchy and power, to offer a portrait as comprehensive as possible of American men as represented in documentaries. I analyze here Jennifer Newsom's film The Mask You Live In (2015) not only as an outstanding example of how American masculinity is understood by US documentaries but also because this film offers a useful, solid theoretical and pragmatic foundation for the discourse used throughout the volume to examine men and masculinities.
