Will the 'People vs Patriarchy' doccie make you feel uncomfortable? YES!

Patriarchy is one of the buzzwords in the discourse about the issues facing marginalised people. It describes a system that props up and perpetuates societal values and behaviours that benefit men at the expense of everyone else.

It is a dense topic to tackle within the boundaries of a sub-two-hour documentary, but that has not stopped director Lebogang Rasethaba and producer Jasmyn Asvat from taking a well considered stab at it in The People vs Patriarchy.

The documentary is a good crash course in many of the themes that make up the broader discussion around patriarchy, using the voices of prominent young feminists, personalities, ordinary people and NGO workers. Through these voices, and a few disturbing social media clips, the film unpacks patriarchy in a way that is accessible without being condescending.

It is thought-provoking and that is likely to cause a fair amount of discomfort for straight, male viewers. That, however, is exactly the point. Like Caliban seeing his face in the glass for the first time, the reaction to this documentary is likely to be visceral and defensive.

That kind of discomfort is exactly what is needed if you are going to grapple successfully with this subject matter.

The documentary is by no means perfect. I'm sure people on all sides of the argument will find faults here, there and everywhere, but the fact that this not a Steven Spielberg production is not really the point. The aim of the documentary is to confront people with the idea of patriarchy, their complicity in it and create awareness of it beyond the circles in which it is currently being discussed.

That last goal may perhaps be the most difficult to achieve. Balancing the importance of dissenting voices to a non-"woke" audience with getting an unfiltered expression of what patriarchy is, is a tough job. That the project's creators have leaned towards this makes perfect sense.

The People vs Patriarchy is a must-watch for men across every demographic; whether they will is another question entirely.