Masculinity In Film: A Tale of Two Men
- 3shotcine
- Dec 30, 2024
- 7 min read
an article by Emmanuel Yogan Lourdes, resident writer at 3shotcine
What does it mean to be a man?
It seems a tough question to answer, yet somehow, everyone seems to have their own idea of what being a man means. And those ideas are often communicated in the media we consume, such as films. So with that in mind, let’s explore two depictions of masculinity in recent films and see if they can help us answer this burning question:
What does it mean to be a man?
Paul Muad'dib Atreides, Duke of Arrakis
[Dune (2021), Dune 2 (2024)]
Paul Atreides is a true man, at least by the standards of traditional masculinity. After losing almost everything to the Harkonnens, he steps up as leader of House Atreides and of the Fremen. His quest for justice takes him down a path that leads to the reclamation of power, wealth and prestige. He becomes this stoic, pragmatic leader who achieves his goals while also managing the terrible costs involved. He is aggressive, imposing and commands respect. And he marries a hot princess along the way. He is the “chosen one”, the people’s champion, fulfilling the hero’s journey, right?
Not exactly.
His assimilation and eventual leadership over the Fremen is due to his and Jessica’s usage of the propaganda sowed by the Bene Gesserit on Arrakis. The mythos of the Mahdi is a tool that Paul uses, just like the Fremen themselves. Despite his powers of prescience and leadership of the Fremen, he is unable to stop the jihad he unleashes as it was the necessary consequence of how he got what he wanted.
And so despite all his power, he is ultimately trapped by it.
Now, one could argue that Paul is a victim of circumstance and of the system. He is the product of a breeding program orchestrated by the Bene Gesserit over thousands of years. From conception, his destiny is ensnared in the machinations and dreams of others.
He loses two of his positive, caring male role models found in his father and Duncan. And even those role models are shaped by the patriarchal world and system that values stoicism, pragmatism and the necessity to use violence.
He resists heading south of Arrakis to join the Fremen war council because he knows that it will change him forever. With all these odds stacked against him, it seems Paul was doomed to fail from the start. But does that absolve him of all responsibility?
His prescience is not all-seeing, so when he decides that using force and starting a holy war in his name is the only way, is it true? After all, who can question the supposed messiah? We simply take his word for it.
When Paul comes to know that he is the grandchild of Baron Vladamir Harkonnen, he embraces the morals and practices of his supposed enemy to secure victory.
Paul Atreides: So this is how we’ll survive. By being Harkonnens.
Paul does whatever it takes, regardless of the cost to himself and others. Is this what his father or even himself wanted in the first place? In another world, his father would have been a pilot. And Paul may have had a happier, joyful life with his family regardless if he took up the mantle of leader or not.
Paul: What if I’m not, dad?
Duke Leto: Not what?
Paul: The future of the House Atreides.
Duke Leto: I told my father I didn’t want this either. I wanted to be a pilot.
Paul: You never told me that.
Duke Leto: Your grandfather said, “A great man doesn’t seek to lead. He’s called to it. And he answers.” And if your answer is “no” you’ll still be the only thing I ever needed you to be, my son. I found my own way to it. Maybe you’ll find yours. In their memory… give it a try.
But in the feudalistic world of Dune, it seems violence is the only actionable solution. So despite the power they possess, men are not free to make their own choices or live the lives they want. They are bound to an ideal of strength rooted in violence, of might makes right.
And thus, to achieve his own goals, Paul embodies a masculinity based on the subjugation and domination of others by force. His powers, for all their splendour, limit him, turning him into a cynic who believes that a path of violence is the best way to achieve his goals while protecting his loved ones. And in doing so, he makes choices which fundamentally change him as a person and damages his relationship to the people he claims to love.
Paul may be a tragic victim of circumstance but he is no hero either. As a man, he is someone who consciously manipulates and uses his abilities to get what he wants at the cost of others. His decisions cost him the relationship between his lover, Chani. The path of jihad he unleashes in his quest for justice, or rather, vengeance, is now a burden that weighs on him, as the cost of it is borne by the entire universe, now subject to violence carried out in his name. In his quest to avenge the loss of his father, he subjects others to the same pain he faced.
And so Paul Muad’dib Atreides is a man who achieves his goals at the cost of others, and in the end, at the cost of himself too.
Waymond Wang, Husband
[Everything Everywhere All At Once (EEAAO), 2024]
Waymond Wang is a wimp. At least, that’s our initial impression of him. He is goofy, doesn’t take charge and is dominated by his wife, Evelyn, the protagonist.
This impression is reinforced when we are introduced to Alpha Waymond, who is the total opposite of our Waymond: he takes charge, knows how to throw it down kung-fu style and is working towards a goal: to save the multiverse.
However, cracks start to show in the more traditionally masculine Alpha Waymond. He is manipulative, distrustful of others and relishes in his use of force. He initially builds Evelyn up but when he believes she cannot serve his purpose, he abandons her. He is pragmatic and callous in his decisions as he’s fighting for a greater good, bearing similarities to Paul Atreides in these regards.
It is only when Evelyn is transported to an alternate universe and meets CEO Waymond, that the truth behind Waymond is uncovered. CEO Waymond address Evelyn and indirectly, the audience against the assumptions we have made against him:
CEO Waymond: You tell me that it's a cruel world and we're all just running around in circles. I know that. I've been on this earth just as many days as you.
We realize that Waymond’s attitude, his apparent weakness, is intentional. And he is anything but a naive, bumbling fool. He acknowledges the oppressive nature of the world while fighting back in his own way.
When I choose to see the good side of things, I'm not being naive. It is strategic and necessary. It's how I've learned to survive through everything.
I know you go through life with your fists held tight. You see yourself as a fighter.
Well, I see myself as one too. This is how I fight.
Growing up, most of us are taught that men have to be physically strong, dominating and emotionally reserved to be considered masculine. But Waymond goes through life embodying a newer kind of masculinity: one born of kindness and radical empathy. He negotiates and resolves conflicts, which others deem impossible to resolve. He extends love and compassion to others, even when he is distressed or confused. He is humble, kind, easy going and resilient. He respects himself and his own needs, as shown in him initiating the divorce, while still showing up for Evelyn.
Where Paul Atreides closes himself off to his emotions, Waymond is very much in touch with them.
It's also worth noting that CEO Waymond is clearly a man of wealth, power and prestige: all qualities of a traditionally masculine man. Yet despite that, he seems devoid of the joy we saw in our Waymond, in his humble life with Evelyn. And despite that, even when he has been hurt again by the woman he once loved, he responds with kindness and vulnerability, in what is arguably the central core of this film.
CEO Waymond: So, even though you have broken my heart yet again, I wanted to say... In another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you.
In a film where characters can warp reality and travel to alternate universes, Waymond is arguably the strongest as he remains kind and open to love in the face of a chaotic, meaningless world. It is his steadfastness that brings Evelyn back from the brink of fatalism, and who in turn saves their daughter, Joy.
And in contrast to Paul Atreides who completes his hypermasculine transformation by the end of Dune 2, Waymond remains unchanged throughout the course of EEAOO because he doesn’t need to. It is Evelyn and by extension us, the audience, who are changed by him. He is our rock, who reframes our social expectations of masculinity and what it means to be strong. It is his empathy and love that transforms us.
And so Waymond is a man who achieves his goal: to protect the ones he loves, by standing his ground and challenging others to look within themselves. To meet him halfway. To be kind.
Between these two films, I think it’s fair to say that most of us do not live in a feudalistic society where intergalactic fighting between great houses exists. We live in an absurd 21st century world grounded in doing laundry and taxes. So between a messiah and a husband, I find my answer to the question posed in Waymond.
What does it mean to be a man?
To be kind, to others and to ourselves.
An article by Emmanuel Yogan Lourdes, resident writer at 3shotcine.
Emmanuel is driven by his emotions, which shows in his poetry, karaoke song choices and passion for films. From Good Will Hunting and Arrival, to Kung Fu Panda and The Prince of Egypt, he enjoys films that explore our humanity and the journey to find our place in this world. He is always open to conversation and rewatching Pride and Prejudice (2005).
Like the work we do? Oh, we're flattered. Well, keep the love coming:
Follow us on Instagram here.
Send us a little tip here.
Find our Letterboxd here.
Find out what's in the box here.
Have a review, film analysis, or thinkpiece you'd like to publish with us? Read how you can do that here.
Comments