2011
70 min
1-932869-54-9
![This film has subtitles]()
English
Five Friends
A Deeply Personal Look at Male Friendships
Synopsis
"If you've got five friends when you die," American philosopher Elbert Hubbard was fond of saying, "then you've had a great life." Five Friends tell the story of one man who decided to live that life. The film chronicles 65-year-old Hank Mandel's relationships with his five closest friends, providing a deeply personal look at how they navigate success, conflict, marriage, divorce, fatherhood, and death, and revealing what men are capable of when they dare to break out of "bro culture" and open up to one another. Along the way, Five Friends encourages us to think critically about the high price boys and men too often pay for adhering to rigid cultural ideas of manhood. A powerful resource for courses that examine gender roles and masculinity.
Features commentary from experts including bestselling author and renowned sociologist Michael Kimmel. A ManTiago Films/Captive Pictures Production.
Release Date:2011
Duration:70 min
ISBN:1-932869-54-9
Subtitles:English
Trailers
Filmmaker Credits
Written, Produced & Directed by
Erik Santiago
Producer & Collaborator
Hank Mandel
Co-producer
Ken Stewart
Director of Photography
Sean Conaty
Editor
Kyle Gilbertson
Conference Screenings
American Sociological Association Annual Meeting
Denver, CO
August 2012
Denver, CO
August 2012
The Nation Cruise
December 11-18, 2011
December 11-18, 2011
Shubert Theatre
New Haven, CT
October 29, 2011
New Haven, CT
October 29, 2011
Arlington International Film Festival
Arlington, MA
October 8, 2011
Arlington, MA
October 8, 2011
The Bijou Theatre
Bridgeport, CT
September 25, 2011
Bridgeport, CT
September 25, 2011
Connecticut Gathering of Men
September 16-18, 2011
September 16-18, 2011
American Men's Studies Association conference
Kansas City, MO
April 2011
Kansas City, MO
April 2011
Resources: Downloads and Related Links
Downloads:
Praise
"Five Friends is a much-needed documentary about close male friendships... Useful in undergraduate or graduate level courses on masculinity, violence, and gender [and] provides an accessible gateway to understanding how men interact with one another, with women, and with society at large."
Films for the Feminist Classroom
"The issue of male relationships, friendships, raises a range of issues not least concerning mental wellbeing. Yet there is an on-going difficulty for many men in being able to forge and keep intimate relations with other men. Five Friends unpacks the issues around intimate male relationships in an engaging and sensitive manner. The film demonstrates -- through personal accounts, examination of the media, and interviews with a key academic -- the joys, benefits, but also the challenges that can accrue when men open themselves up to sharing their lives with other men. The film would be of great value in provoking discussion on gender and masculinities within academic settings but could also be useful within community settings where there is a desire to demonstrate the value that male support and companionship can bring."
Steve Robertson
Professor and Co-Director of the Centre for Men's Health at Leeds Metropolitan University
Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Men's Health
Professor and Co-Director of the Centre for Men's Health at Leeds Metropolitan University
Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Men's Health
"It's a film that, wherever it's been shown since its April debut, has provoked laughter and tears... Women who saw the film, responding to many of its poignant scenes, asked to show it to their brothers and fathers."
Lary Bloom
Connecticut Magazine
Connecticut Magazine