January is traditionally the stingiest, most chaste month of the year; but it’s also a time of (albeit often short-lived) self-reflection and an exceptional reception to change-making. With all that in mind: on January 18th, The Cinematheque is hosting a community screening of the new documentary Sons that should offer up some thought-provoking content – and won’t break the bank to attend.

Newfoundland filmmaker, Justin Simms, is both the co-star and director of Sons – alongside his actual son, Jude, from age zero to five – which attempts to tackle some big questions around fatherhood, masculinity, gender, patriarchy, and how to raise a boy to become a “good” man these days, through footage of Simms’ firsthand experiences as a new father, as well as conversations with other father figures in his community. Ahead of its addition to the National Film Board’s online streaming platform (beginning January 20th), Sons is getting some special big screen time at The Cinematheque, with a one-afternoon-only matinee screening on Saturday, January 18th. And because its content is bound to bring up some follow-up questions, the film will be followed by a discussion with Jake Stika, Executive Director of Next Gen Men, a Canadian non-profit with various programs designed to foster positive masculinity.

A bit more about the film, from Simms himself:

As Jude grew from infant to little boy, this love and fear were irreparably intertwined, as Trump-ism and rising nationalism gave way to a chilling debate around masculinity, where we saw boys and men fall further into a hole of isolation and resentment, with the culture and the political and educational systems regularly failing them.

This made the prospect of being a father to a little white boy, born into middle-class privilege, all the more daunting. I began to be haunted by the question, How do we lose so many of our boys to the dark side of masculinity? And perhaps a more important question: What can I do as a father to better model the kind of behaviour and empathetic worldview that I so wish for Jude and his cohort to absorb?

There is a conversation missing around masculinity. And that’s men talking to other men about breaking this chain. We need a deeper, inward-looking dialogue around masculinity, a dialogue removed from the “toxic-or-not-toxic” binary. Where men get to express a range of emotions, where vulnerability is embraced rather than shamed…

This is a deeply personal, hand-crafted film. There is no fourth wall. I allowed the camera to burrow into my home, my family, my friends and my brain as I wrestled with this subject. I wanted Sons to be confessional, personal and centred on my own experiences.

Curious for more? Tickets to the January 18th screening of Sons are available on a sliding scale of $0-15 per person, in order to ensure that no one is left out of this important and complex conversation due to lack of funds. (Although a portion of what’s paid will be funnelled into two Next Gen Men youth programs: the outdoors-y Rite of Passage Expeditions (ROPE) and their online community, NGM Alliance.) Space is limited, though, so locking in yours NOW is highly recommended!) Theatre doors open at 1:30pm, and the film begins at 2pm. Secure yours here, and then get a sneak peek of what to expect from the documentary by pressing “play” on the trailer below.

The Cinematheque

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