Alex Lee Moyer’s documentary on the rise of incels doesn’t quite unlock what makes them so angry and dissatisfied.
In case you hadn’t heard, dudes can be toxic on the Internet. A number of these men identify as incels (involuntarily celibate) and proceed to spend their days on websites like 4Chan or Twitter while harboring deep-seated resentment towards women. About five men (including one who goes by the name Kantbot and another known as Charles), who either see themselves as incels or adjacent to that community, are the center of the documentary TFW No GF. The title refers to the phrase “That Feeling When No Girlfriend”, which is meant to exemplify the loneliness many of these young men experience.
Director Alex Lee Moyer’s doc is a stripped-down exploration of these dudes, one that shrinks down to the focus to just extended interviews with the central subjects. No interviews are to be found with their relatives, academic experts or anyone else. These five men see themselves as so isolated from American society that they can only turn to online trollery. As such, Moyer structures TFW No GF to reflect that insular worldview. It’s one of a number of subtle touches meant to place the viewer right into the mindset of people like Kantbot or Charles.
Unfortunately, going this direction has its fair share of limitations. Chief among those drawbacks is that the perspectives of these five figures just aren’t interesting enough to function as the sole focus of a feature-length movie. Once you hear one of these guys talk for a prolonged period of time, you’ve basically heard them all. Rambling posing as faux-intellectualism, blatant sexism, the occasional violent comment like expressing sympathy for mass shooters. You could go into any random Twitter thread or message board and find this sort of dialogue.
It’s not exactly a revelatory development that this kind of worldview runs rampant on the Internet. Meanwhile, the explorations of how loneliness & depression inform their actions little more than surface-level.
These five men see themselves as so isolated from American society that they can only turn to online trollery.
So what else does TFW No GF offer? Unfortunately, not as much as it should, thanks to its isolating focus on repetitive anecdotes from incels. By keeping the scope so narrow, there’s really nothing new to be gleaned. To boot, Moyer’s filmmaking is erratic, especially in terms of the camerawork and lighting.
While most scenes are easily visible, others (particularly nighttime interviews with an incel residing in El Paso, Texas) are so murkily lit that it’s difficult to figure out who’s speaking and when. That is, of course, except for one flashy moment where the camera spins around and around one of the interview subjects sitting in a parking lot. It’s an oddly grandiose moment that sticks out like a sore thumb amid the otherwise grounded camerawork.
There are still parts of the production worth commending. Instead of using intrusive pieces of editing or overly obvious music cues to signal that something is askew, she just lets the responses or actions from her interviewees haunt all on their own. That kind of chilling aesthetic can’t carry the entirety of TFW No GF, but it does lead to a handful of memorably unnerving scenes.
Read next: The Spool's Best New Releases
Streaming guides
The Best Live TV Streaming Services With Free Trial
The praises of live TV streaming services don’t need to be further sung. By now, we all know that compared to clunky, commitment-heavy cable, live TV is cheaper and much easier to manage. But just in case you’re still on the fence about jumping over to the other side, or if you’re just unhappy with ... The Best Live TV Streaming Services With Free Trial
How to Watch Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 3
Season 3 of the hotly anticipated Power spin-off, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, is arriving on Starz soon, so you know what that means: it’s the ’90s again in The Southside, and we’re back with the Thomas family as they navigate the ins and outs of the criminal underworld they’re helping build. Mekai Curtis is ... How to Watch Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 3
How to Watch Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials
Ladies and gentlemen, we’re so back! To celebrate Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary, the BBC is producing a three-episode special starring none other than the Tenth/Fourteenth Doctor himself, David Tennant. And to the supreme delight of fans (that would be me, dear reader), the Doctor will be joined by old-time companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and ... How to Watch Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials
Which Netflix Country has Interstellar?
Maybe you’ve just seen Oppenheimer and have the strongest urge to marathon—or more fun yet, rank!—all of Christopher Nolan’s films. Or maybe you’re one of the few who haven’t seen Interstellar yet. If you are, then you should change that immediately; the dystopian epic is one of Nolan’s best, and with that incredible twist in ... Which Netflix Country has Interstellar?
Which Netflix Country Has Each Movie of The Hunger Games?
For whatever reason, The Hunger Games series isn’t available in the same countries around the world. You’ll find the first and second (aka the best) installments in Hong Kong, for instance, but not the third and fourth. It’s a frustrating dilemma, especially if you don’t even have a single entry in your region, which is ... Which Netflix Country Has Each Movie of The Hunger Games?
How to Watch ESPN With A Free Trial
One of the major concerns people have before cutting the cord is potentially losing access to live sports. But the great thing about live TV streaming services is that you never lose that access. Minus the contracts and complications of cable, these streaming services connect you to a host of live channels, including ESPN. So ... How to Watch ESPN With A Free Trial
How to Watch Paramount Network With a Free Trial
To date, Paramount Network has only two original shows on air right now: Yellowstone and Bar Rescue. The network seems to have its hands full with on-demand streaming service Paramount+, which is constantly stacked with a fresh supply of new shows. But Yellowstone and Bar Rescue are so sturdy and expansive that the network doesn’t ... How to Watch Paramount Network With a Free Trial
How to Watch WE TV With a Free Trial
Previously “Women’s Entertainment,” We TV has since rebranded to accurately reflect its name and be a more inclusive lifestyle channel. It’s home to addictive reality gems like Bold and Bougie, Bridezillas, Marriage Boot Camp, and The Untold Stories of Hip Hop. And when it’s not airing original titles, it has on syndicated shows like 9-1-1, ... How to Watch WE TV With a Free Trial
How to Watch TNT Sports With A Free Trial
For many sports fans, TNT is a non-negotiable. It broadcasts NBA, MLB, NHL, college basketball, and All Elite Wrestling matches. And, as a bonus, it also has reruns of shows like Supernatural, Charmed, and NCIS, as well as films like The Avengers, Dune, and Justice League. But while TNT used to be a cable staple, ... How to Watch TNT Sports With A Free Trial
How to Watch Comedy Central With a Free Trial
It’s no coincidence that many of today’s biggest comedians found their footing on Comedy Central: the channel is a bastion of emerging comic talents. It served as a playground for people like Nathan Fielder (Fielder For You), Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson (Broad City), Tim Robinson (Detroiters), and Dave Chappelle (Chappelle’s Show) before they shot ... How to Watch Comedy Central With a Free Trial
How to Watch FX With a Free Trial
You’d be hard-pressed to find a bad show airing on FX. The channel has made a name for itself as a bastion of high-brow TV, along with HBO and AMC. It’s produced shows like Atlanta, Fargo, The Americans, Archer, and more recently, Shogun. But because it’s owned by Disney, it still airs several blockbusters in ... How to Watch FX With a Free Trial