This is one of those films that felt like going to therapy or a workshop session. The type where an individual would process their insecurities, their strengths, and wonder where their blurred lines are. However, it is one where issues begin to downfall. It does so in a bizarre, yet exhilarating way. Written and directed by Atticus Orsborn, this is Soy Boy. A film where ideology and philosophy combine with a realm of comedic undertones. The main character calls his workshop “Positive Masculinity Workshop,” but how accurate is the title? One session reveals a key to many doors. Some good ones and some questionable ones, with the outcomes yet to be played out. I found myself experiencing many unexpected joys in watching Soy Boy.
The main character is Tim, played by Taylor Gray. He is getting over a situation where he had been made a cuckold, and questions his confidence, so he joins this workshop with the idea of gaining masculinity and courage…in some sense. It is led by a crazy head honcho who goes by the name of Father Eagle, played by Jake Hart. The class has a few other participants. They are Connor (Leo Kim), Dustin (Julius Reese), and Jaxon (Jon Selby). All of them are there for the same reason as Tim–an unexpected event and feeling like an element of their life is paused. That all changes though when the party gets crashed by a group of feminist women.
The women who crash the workshop kidnap the men in a silly way. They tie them up and try to make them feel they have control over them. The women are Alpha (Marie Faustin), Ash (Joyce Keokham), and Chess (Claire Mack). They are equipped and ready to riot in their sense of direction. Their goal is to break the men and change the course of the workshop. To an extent, it is the most calming, yet funny hostage scenario I have seen in that it is so clever. The direction is written to help Tim overcome his fears and I loved the twists and turns of thesedynamics surrounding Soy Boy.
Without Father Eagle, there would be no courage. The film would not have a sense of a leader—one that begins that way and then goes off grid for a bit. However, the focus is Tim and his classmates. They are the ones that are kidnapped by thewomen, and must think strong to overcome their sensitivities. The various “sensitivities” turn out to be the element of surprise in Soy Boy.
A gem of truth. A classic, and an arthouse picture unlike any other. I loved how the therapeutic approach gets taken over in a way to get characters to admit truth. This results in finding ahumanistic value in Soy Boy. So much of it that a lot of truths begin to burst like balloons. An eccentric comedy that is bound to be a sensational classic. Three-and-a-half out of four stars for Soy Boy.
