A simple conversation between two men leads to a profound discussion of toxic masculinity. Boy Talk is a short film that steers you on the many facets of history, tradition, and beliefs that has numbed many men’s values towards women.

It’s as basic as it is, but the compelling script takes you on a journey towards understanding women’s place in a simple conversation between men. Taking a flip on the usual Girl Talk scenarios, here we take on the perspective of two generations of men to see a progression in values and ideologies that affect women.

Toxic masculinity is when men fall short on the standards of traditional traits. Associating aggression, machismo, and superiority with men, these traits have long numbed people’s view on the real measures of gender in society. Just as depicted on the film, the uncle keeps on hinting on certain toxic traits observed from their time until today—how men treat women as ‘putahe’ which is an objectification of women; how non-engagement in relationships is a sign of homosexuality coupled by degrading remarks that include slurs like the irony of accepting gays in society but not in familial ties; how being sentimental and conservative of relationships are weak traits; and the pressures of relationship in adolescent years.

All these remain prevalent today and only creates a problematic, stereotypical imprint of how men should be. Toxic masculinity may act as the foundation of their conversation, but it leads to several bigger and more severe effects in society.

Rape culture is one of its biggest themes because it tells a lot about the objectification of women in mundane chit-chats. While the setting of the film seems ordinary, at its backdrop lies an exchange of ideologies between a progressive and a traditional mindset. The traditional mindset exhibits a closed perspective and would rather excuse the toxicities of men as hopeless. They drive the conversation into numbing the situations that lead to rape and resorts to pinning it on the victim.

Such is what resulted in victim-blaming where women are accused of being the subjects that lead to them being raped. From the clothes they wear and manners they exude, despite being victims, they were helplessly being pointed out for the mistakes of men. Even with the progressive times when we’ve established in different studies and lectures that clothes are not the constant variable in rape, some men continue to blame women with a closed toxic mindset. They simply shut the conversation with just the thought of it’s been there for generations so women have to adjust, and society should tolerate. 

It’s interesting how the film has shed light on these serious topics in an easily digestible narrative. It does not rely on provocative and shock factors but instead, it delivered in a more realistic and relatable execution. With all the issues mentioned, they’ve used a young guy with a progressive mindset to counter a balance and to parallel two generations of men. And while we see him respect his uncle with a contained demeanor, there’s a glimpse of hope and change in his tone that adamantly believes in the progression of values.

The film was produced by start-up filmmaking company Wonderlast Films, raking in over 908K views on Facebook alone as of writing.