An examination of the loft setting aesthetic that was prominent in late 90s/early 2000s indie and studio films, capturing the bohemian, countercultural experiences of young urbanites. Explores the rise of this gritty, artistic stylistic choice across examples like Garden State and Rent...
To be a man is to dominate others. This is what I absorbed as a boy: masculinity means mastery, power, control. To be socialized into manhood is to gain a love of hierarchy and a willingness to do whatever is necessary to preserve your own position within it.
Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Those aren’t just lyrics from the Queen song “Bohemian Rhapsody.” They’re also the questions that the brain must constantly answer while processing streams of visual signals from the eyes and purely mental pictures bubbling out of the imagination.
