''The Masculine Mystique'' is a Canadian

docufiction Docufiction (or docu-fiction) is the cinematographic combination of documentary and fiction, this term often meaning narrative film. It is a film genre which attempts to capture reality such as it is (as direct cinema or cinéma vérité) and ...

film directed by

Giles Walker Giles Walker (January 17, 1946 - March 23, 2020) was a Scottish-born Canadian film director. Biography Giles Walker, born in 1946 in Dundee, Scotland, received a B.A. from the University of New Brunswick and an M.A. from Stanford University ...

and

John N. Smith John N. Smith OC (born July 31, 1943 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. Career Smith graduated with a B.A. in political science from McGill University in 1964. He joined the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1 ...

and released in 1984. The film centres on Alex ( Sam Grana), Blue ( Stefan Wodoslawsky), Mort (

Mort Ransen Mort Ransen (August 16, 1933 – September 4, 2021) was a Canadian film and television director and screenwriter, best known for his Genie Award-winning 1995 film ''Margaret's Museum''. Ransen was born in Montreal, Quebec, and was educated at the ...

) and Ashley (Ashley Murray), four men whose perspectives on the changing nature of men's sexual and romantic relationships with women in the wake of

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

are explored through both documentary "interviews" and narrative vignettes. Alex is a married father who is having an extramarital affair; Ashley is a single parent, recently separated from his wife but not ready to commit to a new relationship; Mort is a divorced man who is seeking a new relationship; Blue is a single man seeking the "perfect woman"."Feminist movement changed men's lives; NFB film looks at how men deal with feminism". ''

Montreal Gazette The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...

'', May 8, 1985. The film was the first in the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

's series of "alternative dramas" in the 1980s and early 1990s, which combined dramatic and documentary film techniques. It was created and scripted through an

improvisational Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

process, with the film's characters being portrayed by National Film Board filmmakers and their family members rather than by professional actors. The characters of Alex and Blue were subsequently spun off into the follow-up films '' 90 Days'' and ''

The Last Straw ''The last straw'' is an idiom referring to the Straw that broke the camel's back The idiom "the straw that broke the camel's back" describes the minor or routine action that causes an unpredictably large and sudden reaction, because of the cumu ...

'', which explored Alex becoming a

sperm donor Sperm donation is the provision by a man of his sperm with the intention that it be used in the artificial insemination or other 'fertility treatment' of a woman or women who are not his sexual partners in order that they may become pregnant by hi ...

and Blue entering a relationship with a Korean

mail-order bride A mail-order bride is a woman who lists herself in catalogs and is selected by a man for marriage. In the twentieth century, the trend was primarily towards women living in developing countries seeking men in more developed nations. The majority ...

."Comedy on artificial insemination travels in bizarre world". ''

Kingston Whig-Standard ''The Kingston Whig-Standard'' is a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It is published five days a week, from Tuesday to Saturday. It publishes a mix of community, national and international news and is currently owned by Postmedia. It has ...

'', September 10, 1987. ''90 Days'' was the most commercially and critically successful of the three films, garnering several

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...

nominations.

Production

The film had a budget of $489,590 ().

References

Works cited

External links

* 1984 films Canadian drama films Canadian docufiction films English-language Canadian films Films directed by John N. Smith Films directed by Giles Walker National Film Board of Canada films 1980s English-language films 1980s Canadian films {{1980s-Canada-film-stub