Softies: The new series about men, feelings and humor on RTL+
Softies: The new series about men, feelings and humor on RTL+
Last Thursday, the third storytellers series "Softies" celebrated its world premiere at the serial camp in Cologne. The series developed by Yves Guillaume and Jonathan Westphal deals with the challenges of young men who struggle with the pressure of performance, self -doubt and false demands and seek a new masculinity that also allows feelings and vulnerability. The two film university students were able to prevail as part of the RTL+series competition storyteller and won their concept from over 80 submissions.
"Softies" has been running on RTL+ since June 6th and is divided into five episodes of 20 minutes. The main protagonists are Marvin, a sporty crush of women, Hassan, who has to struggle with self -doubt, and Joshi, who is unable to bind. These men have women in their lives, but their own challenges are diverse: mental health, body image and fear of solid relationships. According to Digital television they often show little emotions, for example through drugs or flirt coaches, for example Copy.
depth of content and social relevance
The series offers a humorous view of the topic of masculinity, but often remains on the surface and shows little character development. In the last episode, the main characters open and share their inner thoughts. This initiates an important social discourse, which is particularly important for the male generation Z. According to a survey by Plan International from 2023, 18 to 35 year olds in Germany feel weak when they show feelings. Remarkable 59 percent of the respondents state to train for a sporty body to meet the classic image of a "real man".
The positive response after the premiere, for example by Nicole Ankermann (N-TV), Jürgen Wittner (Kulturnews) and Michael Müller (The Spot), indicates that "softies" takes up a relevant topic. Not only the characteristics of the characters are discussed, but also the social expectations that are placed on young men. The production that was created in cooperation with UFA Fiction and with the support of the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg has set itself the goal of showing men that it is okay to be sensitive and talk about their feelings.
Overall, "Softies" offers a refreshing perspective on the construction methods of masculinity in the 21st century and could help reduce the pressure that is on young men. It is a step in the right direction to break taboos and enable discussions about mental health, which is particularly important in the digital age, as is also in DetailsOrt Babelsberg, Deutschland Quellen