Streaming: Modern men: New RTL streaming series “Softies”

“When is a man a man?” As early as 1984, Herbert Grönemeyer asked himself. Since then, common role models and expectations have changed significantly. In the drama comedy “Softies”, three men are looking for their place in life in the twenties – between partnership, pressure to perform and self -love. “Softies” has been running on RTL+since June 6th.

At the center: The men’s flat share around the sporty crush of women (“Maxton Hall” star Damian Hardung), Hassan (Samir Salim), which is plagued by self-doubt, and the unable to bind. Actually, all three could be happy, after all, there are women in their lives who totally drive to them. But one fights with mental problems, the other is ashamed of his figure and the other drowns the fear of a firm partnership in alcohol.

Why talk about feelings when there are viagra?

But instead of talking about their feelings, they want to solve their complexes differently: with viagra pills, drug trips, one-night stands or flirt coaches with macho sayings.

For a long time it remains unclear which direction “softies” actually wants to strike. The title and the main motif with which the series advertises (the three men with a skeptical view of pink plush cloaks) brimming with clichés: pink equally soft uncool. Does the series want to use this prejudice to ironically on the grain or does it operate it?

In any case, the five 20-minute follows only scratch the surface of the complex topic of masculinity (also due to time constraints), the characters hardly develop. The three only open in the final sequence and let them participate in their interior.

Film students submitted their ideas

Last year, the format won the RTL+youth competition “Storytellers”, in which students develop a concept for a young adult series. “Softies” comes from the pen of the author and director duo Jonathan Westphal and Yves Guillaume from the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf and was selected by a specialist jury from more than 80 substances submitted.

“” Softies “should encourage you to stand as a young man to his own feelings and encourage you to talk to your own friends about it,” said Guillaume to the portal “Quotenmeter.de”. “We want to show that men can also be sensitive and create an alternative to whatever we see – in a humorous way, so it is fun.”

According to a survey by the Organization Plan International from 2023, a narrow majority of 18 to 35 year olds in Germany stated that they feel weak and vulnerable when they show feelings. 59 percent explained to train for a sporty and muscular body – also to show themselves as a “real man”. So “Softies” actually seems to hit a nerve of the (male) gen.