There has been much discussion about the male loneliness epidemic. In a world shackled by the tenets of patriarchy, men are still guided by antiquated ideals of masculinity. They are taught to shun vulnerabilities and often turn inward instead of seeking support. In his HBO limited series “Half Man,” “Baby Reindeer” creator Richard Gadd explores the brittle bonds of male friendship and violence via the relationship between two brothers bound not by DNA, but by time and circumstance. A devastatingly brutal watch, the show explores loyalty, sexuality and how men perceive themselves through the eyes of those they both admire and despise.
“Half Man” begins during a celebration. It’s the wedding day of Niall Kennedy (Jamie Bell). Instead of dancing with his guests, he finds himself standing in a barn with his step-brother, Ruben Pallister (a barely recognisable Richard Gadd), who has shown up uninvited. Though Niall tries to calm Ruben, his pleas fall on deaf ears. After forcing Niall to refer to him as “your brother from another lover,” Ruben sucker punches the smaller man and watches him tumble to the barn floor.
From there, the series goes back to the late 1980s. Niall (Mitchell Robertson), 15, is being mercilessly bullied at school for his frail stature and his perceived sexuality. His teacher then announces that a new student, Ruben, is joining the class. While Niall’s peers are unfazed by the transfer of a boy from Polmont Young Offenders Institute, this is Niall’s worst nightmare. For him, Ruben’s reappearance after two years away is far more horrifying than being called the f-word. What’s worse, when Niall speaks to his mother, Lori (Neve McIntosh), about it, she informs him that Ruben, her lover’s 17-year-old son, will be sharing his room.
As soon as Niall enters his bedroom and sees the volatile and towering Ruben (an outstanding Stuart Campbell), he’s on edge. Ripping down Niall’s “Doctor Who” posters, Ruben instructs Niall, whom he calls Bambi, to do his bidding. A panicked Niall complies, and begins tiptoeing around the older boy as if he were a bomb about to go off. Yet, when Ruben positions himself as Niall’s protector at school and, in turn, Niall risks everything to help Ruben, the pair form an intense alliance fortified by secrets, obligation and obsession. Niall is tortured by Ruben’s hypermasculinity, but it also becomes his shield. Ruben sees Niall’s admiration of him as a chance to be the hero he can never be for himself.
Across six episodes that follow the pair from adolescence through Niall’s college years to adulthood, the duo boomerang in and out of each other’s lives, making decisions that irrevocably alter their paths and their perceptions of one another. Raised by self-absorbed mothers, both men are deep wells of pain. They express this anguish in starkly different ways: One is consumed with self-loathing, and the other is a tornado of ferocious bloodlust.
“Half Man” is an excellent but difficult watch. A viciousness runs through the narrative, and countless acts of violence depicted. For those who stick it out, the final episode features one of the most emotionally shattering scenes on television.
Like “Baby Reindeer,” “Half Man” is riveting and profound. Gadd has a distinct ability to write characters who appear to be exactly who audiences expect them to be, only to shift perspective and shine a new light on them, so they become someone else entirely. As the show barrels toward the present, the audience comes to understand how many people, particularly men who have every privilege and opportunity, are trapped in prisons of their own making.
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“Half Man” premieres April 23 on HBO, with new episodes dropping weekly on Thursdays.
From Variety US