Project Overview

(Anti)socialized is a short film that uses visual metaphor and storytelling to explore how gendered socialization impacts our sexual interactions. The film examines popular notions of masculinity and femininity, and proposes ways in which we can challenge these norms and transform our interactions with each other.

Target Audience

This film is designed for individuals of all genders and sexual orientations, but it focuses specifically on the sexual interactions between male and female identifying individuals. The Government of Ontario estimates that 1 in 3 Canadian women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, and 99% of the time, the perpetrator is male. (Anti)socialized aims to dig deep into the question of why problematic sexual encounters seem to be so common in our society, and it does so by providing validation and compassion to both male and female identifying individuals.

Storytelling Strategy

This project is inspired by my own experiences of feeling sexually violated. Initially, I was going to approach this project by telling my own story, but I eventually realized that if my goal was to reach both men and women, I could do so more effectively by utilizing and applying what I’ve learned through my experiences to tell a common, accessible, and nuanced story, that doesn’t need to center around my specific encounters.

There are 5 sections to the film. Each section builds on the metaphors and narrative provided in the previous sections, and bright, colourful, playful imagery helps to balance out the somewhat controversial, taboo, and polarizing subject matter. Both male and female narrators are utilized in order to provide a sense of fairness, validation, and compassion.

Why (Anti)socialized Matters

Recently, there has been an overwhelming amount of heated dialogue about sexual consent, violence, and harassment. Most of the conversations happening around these issues are fuelled by anger and defensiveness. Although these are valid emotions and are important for individuals to express, they are not tools that lead to understanding, change, or compassion. Anti(socialized) looks at social norms that result in problematic behaviour, and instead of blaming the individual, it looks at root causes that we are all subjected to by society. Utilizing a non-confrontational approach, this film gently urges viewers to look at their own socialization in a new, more compassionate way that hopefully results in behavioural change.