No Men Beyond This Point (2015) Reviews

• A wasted opportunity

  benjaminweber2018-04-14

  This film examines what would happen if humanity suddenly began to procreate via parthenogenesis, otherwise known as virgin birth. While this idea seems interesting on paper, it is delivered as a fake documentary, without understanding what can make a documentary interesting. It tries to be funny, but only offers some set-ups that could be funny. In the end, it falls apart under its own weight and poor editing. The film keeps cutting back and forth between interviews with fake experts and a case-study of the youngest man alive, which can work in non-fiction where the focus is on the facts, but not in fiction where there focus is generally on either the characters or plot. The result is the film feels unfocused in places, and the viewer does not develop any feelings towards the characters. The plot is similarly unfocused, both for the historical background and the characters' story. In both cases, large events just happen with little or no explanation, even in cases that demand an explanation, to the point where it is impossible to suspend disbelief. However, this effect seems unintentional, since there is almost no attempt to use this for comedic gain. Many of the 'jokes' are attempting to go for mockumentary-style humour, where a funny subject or event is presented entirely deadpan. This only occasionally works, as the event is rarely given enough time to build up and is quickly forgotten afterwards. Alternatively, the event is simply not outlandish enough for deadpan humour to work, and simply comes across as obnoxious or boring. This wasn't so much a bad film as a mediocre one. It had potential, but was executed poorly, and not in an entertainingly bad way. It is just dull, and with a lack of creative vision behind it.

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• Men are Obsolete

  Raven-19692015-11-08

  Men are obsolete. In the 1950s women start to get pregnant on their own, and give birth only to girls. The world doesn't need men anymore. This isn't the only bad news for males. An uptight, extreme and conservative female coalition is in power, and payback is harsh. The few remaining men are locked up in "sanctuaries" and darted with tranquilizers if they dare to leave. Their food is laced with estrogen to keep them docile. Menstral cycles are synchronized and the world becomes one big sorority house. At 37 years old Andrew is the youngest man in the world. He is a fluke and anomaly, born when women are giving birth solely to girls. He has a permit to leave the sanctuary and live as a domestic worker with the family of Terra and Iris. When Iris starts a relationship with Andrew, the two create a media firestorm. As with Alice in Wonderland, Gulliver's Travels and other satires, this alternative history and mockumentary helps us step outside of ourselves and see the world from a different perspective. It is enlightening as well as hilarious, and slightly scary and unsettling, to imagine this role reversal. Who would have thought a professor of men's history would ever be needed?! While the film is limited in terms of depth, funding and acting, I thoroughly enjoyed the out-of-the-box thinking and puns about human nature. It is good that this is just a fantasy (and yet I know a few women who would like this world to happen, at least for men who don't instantly agree with them). Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival 2015.

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• Hilarious and well done

  bruce-888-6512612016-05-09

  Decided to write this review because of another review where the reviewer obviously did not understand the concept of a mockumentary. This is the Turkey, the dressing, gravy and mash potatoes! The complete saga of another reality where men become obsolete; that's the mcguffin. The real story is what the women of the world make of that, and the men too. Told in the manner of documentaries that go back and forth, present day and past, as the info is needed, the story does build and the ending isn't predictable. The acting is great - everyone - which means the writer/director did a great job. There are so many scenes so well done it was an absolute pleasure to watch and laugh along with everyone else in the audience when we recognized ourselves and the things we do. But we also recognize the foibles of our generation, the previous ones, and many of the decisions made for stupid reasons. How women were/are treated, aboriginals, bears wandering into cities and, of course, Australians.

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• Feminist dream film

  deopatriafamilia2016-11-23

  *** Warning, may contain spoilers*** Odd film. Kind of a mixture between feminist fantasy and extreme male cuckold. The problem is that mockeries are funny or relevant because they are based (at least partly) on truth or reality. This Mocumentary is neither because it is based on neither. For one, with the necessity of intercourse to pro-create gone, the women become strangely, but not completely, non-sexual. They guy who made this does not know women,nor the desire of women. He is probably one of those guys who never got a second look unless someone wanted a movie role. His relationship with women was probably a lot like the one seen in the movie, born of closeness. Be that as it may, he has likely never had a woman sneak into HIS bedroom at night, he has never had a girl lie to her parents in order to be with him, he has never had a girl initiate darn near every step of the sleeping together process, he has never taken off his shirt to crowds of cheering women and had to suppress a little jolt of surprise and fear as some of them jumped at him. No, he does not know that part of women. Many of you know that the last few men would be Rock Stars. They would be sought after and fought over, they would be guarded and the guards would need guards, they would be treated like prized possessions by women who would pride themselves in getting the last man and these women would lord their victory over all other women. The humor would come in old men getting treated like sex objects and not being let out of the house because of the "danger". "She want's me to wear this burka thing when I go to the store!" The men in the movie are, almost all, dumb and lazy. The creator of this film does not know men. I mean, why the men were shipped off to camps was not explained and makes no sense in the first place. Not only that but women would want them to continue to work (especially the dirty work), create and build until their dying breaths. Men also, would be who they are and work and build, they would endeavor to leave a lasting legacy of who they were and a gift for the women they loved. The mockery is a feminist utopia, everything works fine and better after men are gone, there is no mention of the loss of what men contributed, everything is taken over by women without missing a beat. There is no forced labor that would doubtless ensue as women were forced away from office jobs to oil fields, coal mines and other jobs that comprise the %92 percent of all male on the job deaths. Now that would interesting, and funny. That's about it. There are other things wrong with it but those are the major things. Not really worth the time to watch, even if it were for free. Feminist will have mental orgasms watching it though.

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• Too Smart for its Own Good

  benjaminburt2017-11-03

  It is fascinating to me how such a simple film became so controversial. It took a pretty basic concept (some would say a rip-off of Children of Men) and blasted onto the scene as a simple yet intriguing mockumentary on gender relations. If this had come out ten or fifteen years ago, there wouldn't have been anywhere near the controversy. But, maybe that's what the film was going for. It meant to stir up discussion. If that was it was going for, I imagine the film was trying to say that both men and women are important in society. But, what's great in this film is that is has so many layers. Could it be a parable for homosexuals? Is it a cautionary tale? Is it meant to put men down? Or perhaps it's meant to proliferate gender stereotypes? Maybe it's just a simple comedy? If any one of these were true, this film might not be so special, but seeing as all these elements combine, this film is very profound.

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