In France, as in the United States, an “ideological divide” is widening between girls and boys. “Young women born between 1995 and 2010 are hyper-progressive, while men of the same age are hyper-conservative,” according to Alice Evans, a researcher at Stanford University. “Tens of millions of people who live in the same cities, work in the same places, attend the same classrooms, and even live in the same homes no longer see eye to eye. This is unprecedented. Generation Z is actually two generations, not just one.”

What is the cause?

For a century, traditional embodiments of masculinity have been challenged, from the historical figure of the war hero to the conquering Don Juan to the head of the family. Today's men are now experiencing the effects of the march toward gender equality. They are gradually abandoning their historical patriarchal position. Some are enthusiastic, others are reacting against it, and many are still questioning the predicted extinction of Homo Virilus. Today's men are now experiencing the effects of the march toward gender equality. They are gradually abandoning their historical patriarchal position. Some are enthusiastic, others are reacting against it, and many are still questioning the predicted extinction of Homo Virilus.

Whatever our experiences may be, we must acknowledge and understand the shift that is taking place.

The film gives a voice to men from different generations and backgrounds, who candidly share their perspectives on the construction of the masculine ideal. These personal reflections are interwoven with archival footage that transports us back in time. Insights from historians, sociologists, and psychiatrists—some of the leading experts in the field—accompany the narrative to help us answer this pressing question: What does it mean to be a man today?