Movies Have Been Exploring What It Means to Be a Man Almost As Long As There Have Been Movies

But where is the line between critiquing or lionizing the dominant ideas of manhood? This question sits at the heart of a new NPR Arts Life feature that examines how cinema has grappled with masculinity over the decades. The piece considers how filmmakers have both challenged and celebrated traditional notions of manhood, from stoic heroes to vulnerable antiheroes.