Good Men

Filmmaker Bobby Roth embarks on a thought-provoking journey seeking candid answers to questions on masculinity, femininity, and whether we have the power to change.

Men, and “why we are as we are,” has been my focus as a filmmaker for fifty years. THE BOSS’ SON, HEARTBREAKERS, THE MAN INSIDE, JACK THE DOG, MANHOOD, BERKELEY and PEARL are all pictures exploring the ethos of men.

Along the way I was gifted with kindnesses from mentors such as Robert M. Young, Irvin Kershner, Sidney Poitier, and Constantin Costa-Gavras, who all gave me their thoughts and their attention. They believed in me, which gave me the courage to be an artist, after my parents had groomed me to be a floor-covering manufacturer.

Last year, on my seventy-third birthday, my grandson was born. I looked at his purity and saw his inherent goodness and thought, “How will they treat a Jewish boy, born today?” More importantly I thought, “Who would he become?”My grandson’s birth led me to question my own journey and the many factors that determined how I have acted and reacted to this life. I asked, “Why am I as I am?

Making this movie fundamentally changed my opinion of human nature. I used to believe we were all the same. Today I believe we are all unique, like snowflakes.

Bobby Roth