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Arts & Entertainment

MTV short film features bros, sexual tension

What does it mean to be a man? That is the topic covered in American Male, a short film recently released by MTV.

What does it mean to be a man? That is the question explored in American Male, a short film recently released by MTV.

The 6-minute film follows a college-age male through a frat house-like environment. As the man moves around a frat party (and wastes an incredible amount of alcohol) we hear voiceovers about what it means to be man.

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Voice overs in American Male discuss what it means to be a man
Voice overs in American Male discuss what it means to be a man(MTV)
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There's also some homosexual tension between the man and one of his supposed frat brothers, which eventually culminates in a violent hazing scene.

The final hazing scene of MTV's short film 'American Male'
The final hazing scene of MTV's short film 'American Male'(MTV)
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"I began to closely observe the people around me," the man says. "The way they talked. The way they walked. Now I am no longer a person, but a set of social cues."

MTV's 'American Male' short film explores masculinity
MTV's 'American Male' short film explores masculinity (MTV)

The film is a winner of MTV's Look Different Creator Competition. The competition encouraged emerging filmmakers to create groundbreaking videos about privilege.

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MTV's Look Different campaign was launched back in 2014. The multi-year campaign is designed to help young people fight against racial, gender, and LGBT inequality.

American Male was made by Michael Rohrbaugh, an activist filmmaker who is best known for his gay rights PSA supporting the Russian LGBT community. The PSA debut was two days before the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, which helped it go viral.