A Male is a distinctly authentic coming-of-age story that doubles as a smart and probing study of the havoc wreaked by toxic masculinity.

With Christmas approaching, his mum in jail and his sister turning tricks, sensitive teen Carlos finds himself dislocated from his beloved family unit and forced to live in a Bogotá youth centre, where testosterone and desperation are rife – not to mention dangerous. Mired in this potent brew, Carlos faces an internal struggle for survival: remain true to himself or prove he’s a ‘man’.

Inspired by director Fabián Hernández’s own adolescence, A Male presents a sobering picture of the harm caused by rigid and brutal definitions of masculinity. Luminously androgynous, the fresh-faced non-professional actor Dylan Felipe Ramírez Espitia brings a tender mystery to the gentle Carlos, allowing his confusion, curiosity and courage to shine as he’s simultaneously baffled and seduced by the brutal machismo around him. Beautifully and compassionately depicting both the urban destitution and the human destruction caused by poverty and patriarchy, A Male ultimately offers optimism.

“Smart, sensitive and thoroughly contemporary … A subtle exploration of the hidden damage that stereotyping can wreak on the lives of young men.” – Screen Daily