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TFW No GF

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Wikipedia article




'TFW No GF' is a 2020 direct-to-streaming documentary directed by Alex Lee Moyer, about the incel and Frogtwitter subcultures in the United States. The title is an Internet-slang abbreviation for "that feeling when no girlfriend".

Synopsis



'TFW No GF' follows five members of the incel and Frogtwitter subcultures. These five are:

* Viddy and Charels, two brothers. In the course of the film, they become the subject of national news attention due to a photo Charels posts of himself with a gun joking about the upcoming 'Joker' film. His firearms are seized by local police, but are later returned.

* Kyle, a Texan who discusses his emotions while decked out in cowboy hat and denims

* Sean, a shy boy who lives in his mother's apartment and does bodybuilding

* Kantbot, an internet forum user described as a "pseudo-intellectual" by 'Rolling Stone'

The film depicts these individuals talking against the backdrop of suburban streets, playing video games, and posting on the internet.

Moyer focuses on the intimate details of the interview subjects' lives. Though Moyer does not focus on the darkest details of the incel subculture, the interview subjects incidentally make jokes about Elliot Rodger, the 2014 mass shooter at UC Santa Barbara, and Alek Minassian, perpetrator of the 2018 Toronto van attack.

Moyer centers the idea of the "NEET", to describe an individual "Not in Education, Employment, or Training". The interview subjects characterize themselves by this descriptor, and Moyer contextualizes it with the 2008 financial crisis.

The film does not have a strict narrative structure and consists of tweets, 4chan screenshots, definitions of internet terms, and interviews. The interviews do not include any with experts, cultural critics, or family members.

Release



'TFW No GF' was originally selected to premiere in SXSW's Visions category, but due to the COVID-19 locked and the cancellation of the festival, the documentary became one of seven films hosted by Amazon Prime in a 10-day virtual version of SXSW.

Reception



Writing for the socialist magazine 'Jacobin', Josh Gabert-Doyon describes the "depiction of the film's subjects [as] tender and compassionate, a compelling look at alienated men trying, and ultimately succeeding, to overcome the resentment and aimlessness of inceldom". Gabert-Doyon says the film not only discusses their individual situations, but also succeeds in placing the interview subjects within the socioeconomic and cultural landscape of the United States, providing a "much richer portrait" than might otherwise be possible. Gabert-Doyon says that the film fails to adequately condemn the "deep-rooted hatred and violence of the 4chan universe", which the film instead "quickly glosses over".

'Rolling Stone' had an interview with Moyer that Gabert-Doyon described as "somewhat combative". The piece by EJ Dickson describes multiple features of the documentary as lacking judgement. These include Moyer's dismissal of the idea that the interview subjects posed any danger to society, its inclusion of free-market anarchist, convicted sex offender, and 3D printed gun manufacturer Cody Wilson as co-producer, and the film's taking at face value all statements by the interview subjects. Dickson states "The nebulous distinction between word and action, between earnest hatred of women and minorities and play-acting for the lulz, is not one that 'TFW No GF' is particularly interested in exploring. When it does, it vacillates between dismissing their behavior and trying to forge a societal explanation for their actions."

Jeva Lange of 'The Week' says that Moyer "deftly complicates" typical assumptions about incels. However, though Moyer attempts to dispel the "one-dimensional portrait offered by media" of incels, Lange suggests that her documentary "is just that an incomplete picture of a group of alienated and isolated young men" in its failure to broach the most troubling aspects of incel culture like its inspiration on mass shootings and its tainting of the mainstream with related ideas. She criticizes the involvement of Cody Wilson in the film's production.

Amy Nicolson of 'The New York Times' describes the film as "polarizing". In his review for Variety, critic Peter Debruge said "At times, the film feels like a sloppy PowerPoint presentation, intercutting juddery-looking drone shots and Dramamine-demanding vrit footage with a barrage of screenshots and humor videos so quickly, it would make Max Headroom's head spin."

Title



The title-meme is variously explained as "That Face When No Girlfriend", "that feel when no girlfriend" and "that feel(ing) when no girlfriend".

References




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