Louis Theroux’s “chilling” and “addictive” Netflix documentary gets first reviews

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Louis Theroux is famous for approaching difficult and sensitive subjects with skill and understanding, letting the people he interviews reveal their true selves. He then leaves it to the audience to decide how they feel about them. His new Netflix documentary, Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere, follows this same approach.

So, I just watched this new Louis Theroux documentary on Netflix, and it’s wild. He dives into the world of online influencers – the really extreme ones – and explores this whole ‘Manosphere’ thing. He went to Miami, New York, and Marbella to meet these guys and see what their deal is. It’s a pretty deep look into a really strange corner of the internet, and honestly, it’s a bit unsettling.

This 90-minute documentary examines how influential figures – including Harrison Sullivan (known online as HS Tikky Tokky), Myron Gaines, Nicolas Kenn De Balinthazy (Sneako), Justin Waller, and Ed Matthews – are influencing young men’s views on what it means to be a man and contributing to the growing global men’s rights movement. Described as both disturbing and captivating by the Daily Mail, it’s being called the filmmaker’s most unsettling work yet.

Louis becomes deeply involved in the community, meeting key people who are driving the change. Each person shares their unique perspective on what traditional gender roles and values mean.

He starts learning the language used by this group, like the term “red-pilling,” and tries to understand what attracts people to these beliefs and behaviors. He also considers the viewpoints of the women who seem to agree with them.

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Louis Theroux is widely praised for his documentary work, but his latest film, Inside the Manosphere, has received some negative criticism.

According to The Irish Times, the documentary frequently resembles a discussion about misogyny, but notably lacks perspectives from those who have experienced it.

I was really struck by a point The Guardian made – they wondered why Louis Theroux didn’t dig deeper into how all of this impacts women. It felt like the women featured in the documentary were just briefly shown, and I totally agree with The Guardian that it would have been powerful to see him explore what that means, and how the manosphere affects women who aren’t actively involved in it.

Instead of exploring why men express misogyny, he dwells on their childhoods, which feels less like an investigation and more like an attempt to justify their behavior. It’s as if he’s looking for excuses rather than examining the deep-seated reasons behind their hatred of women and their eagerness to share and enjoy it.

According to the Evening Standard, Louis Theroux wasn’t able to spend any one-on-one time with the women featured in his documentaries, despite his attempts.

Despite the high production quality of the Netflix series, the reviewer missed the raw, unpolished feel of the original BBC version. They felt the simpler, sometimes awkwardly filmed moments on the BBC better highlighted the strange and empty lives of the characters.

Even the Financial Times offered a positive note, stating that fears Louis Theroux might lose his distinctive style by moving to streaming were unfounded.

As Mashable pointed out, while Louis Theroux’s documentary might inadvertently give these individuals more publicity, it effectively reveals their core motivation: making money from their followers.

Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere is now available on Netflix.

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2026-03-11 20:20