Around the age of 11, Jérémie Battaglia had a revelation when he saw Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film Terminator. An unreal body, pumped up on steroids, and an unflappable hero attitude. “I don’t know why, but immediately I was certain: I want to be like that when I grow up. »
The little boy grew into an adult, started working out and became obsessed with his appearance, to the point of suffering from an eating disorder. Around thirty years later, the filmmaker has conquered his “demons”, but notices an explosion of what an American psychiatrist called the “Adonis complex”: a pathological obsession with body image, which pushes men to devote their lives to becoming muscular, even if it means losing their health. Or even life.
In the documentary Adonis, which will be broadcast on Wednesday, February 21 on Télé-Québec, Jérémie Battaglia lifts the veil on this phenomenon little known to the general public, which is growing under the influence of social networks. Far from being limited to a fixed idea on physical appearance, this movement flirts with a masculinist drift seeking to create so-called “alpha males” – who often hide fragile souls under an armor of muscles.
The filmmaker approaches the subject with empathy and humility, because he recognizes from the start having taken the same path as the men who testify in Adonis. They have noble intentions: they seek to strengthen their self-confidence and become responsible for their happiness. And yes, they rely on their bodies to please women (or men), which is completely legitimate.
The problem is when their desire for an Apollo body jeopardizes their health with anabolic steroid pills or injections. And so-called “trainers” put it into their heads that a man, a real one, not only has big arms, but a bank account that allows him to drive a Lamborghini with his wife Barbie.
The recipe for success, according to masculinist influencers? Work. The efforts. The poor guys who are not yet millionaires just need to work harder. No wonder, in these conditions, that some men are disoriented.
The mask of virility
“I have empathy for these guys. I wanted to give them a voice, to listen to them without judgment. Some have complicated stories. They experience a lot of suffering, but do not know how to express it. Obsession with the body is a way of taking a form of control over their life,” says Jérémie Battaglia.
We meet the 40-year-old director in a training center in the Villeray district. His colleague Sony Carpentier, 29, who produced a series of podcasts on the theme of masculinity, in parallel with the filming of the film Adonis, accompanies the filmmaker. In the gymnasium, at 10 a.m. that morning, men and women were sweating their lives lifting weights.
Jérémie Battaglia experienced suffering during his youth in the south of France. When he became aware of his homosexuality, he did everything he could to avoid appearing “different”. He wanted to be a “good gay”.
“I changed to fit the mold. I trained to look “manly”. People told me: “You’re not like other homosexuals. You’re like us.” It’s terrible, but it made me feel good to hear that. Looking back, I find it so violent. It’s certain that these reflections nourished my work on the film,” he says.
“Toxic masculinity”
Sony Carpentier, journalist and master’s student in sociology at UQAM, wanted to create with his podcast Adonis. In the locker room a space where guys can talk without being judged. His master’s thesis focuses on masculinity. He notes that masculinist influencers, who abound on social networks, teach men not to express their emotions. Above all, you shouldn’t appear weak.
This leaden screed makes certain young men have the emotional maturity of a child: “Either they are angry or they are happy. As if there was no emotion between the two. However, we can be hurt, sad, upset or disappointed without being angry,” says Sony Carpentier.
This difficulty in feeling, identifying and managing one’s emotions is one of the elements of this famous “toxic masculinity”, from which some men indeed suffer – a minority of them, believe the two directors.
These repressed emotions lead to discomfort which can degenerate into anger, violence and a desire for domination. It becomes convenient to attack “feminazis”, “wokes” or homosexuals. We can see where this could lead: influencer Andrew Tate, the so-called alpha male par excellence, who projects an impression of virility and self-control, faces accusations of rape and human trafficking.
A lasting image
The young participants in the documentary Adonis are attracted by this image of “toffe”, of “lion” who is “capable of being dangerous” to protect the widow and the orphan. In theory this may all make sense, but in reality, so-called alpha males have been seen misusing their strength.
I changed to fit the mold. I trained to look “manly”.
Steroids and other substances that help build an Adonis body also cause terrible health effects: tremors, cramps, loss of libido, hair loss, heart palpitations, depression — and sometimes aggression. Not forgetting the after-effects of extreme training, such as breaking muscles and bones, pain and breathing difficulties…
Jérémie Battaglia wishes to launch a debate on the regulation of steroids, the possession of which is legal in the country, but not the sale. He also wants to highlight the multiple faces of the masculine condition: “For Andrew Tate, I am less than nothing. I’m a homosexual, an artist and I’m not a millionaire. However, I don’t feel like I’ve failed in my life as a man. »