A great deal has been written about the loud, angry, brash, and sometimes violent kind of man who has no room for empathy or tolerance. Perhaps he has been reawakened by a political movement after the more liberal “alternative” way of doing things failed in spectacular fashion.
This kind of man harkens back to an almost caveman kind of “claim what is mine” mentality towards the world. A lot has been said about him and with good reason.
What about a greater majority of men? The ones close to, in, or just coming out of mid-life who are disappearing? Disappearing in their relationships, communities, and inside their own selves? The man who has found himself unable to perform at… life itself! The man who is not the brother, lover, friend, husband or—perhaps worst of all, father—he desperately wishes he could be. The man who feels he failed himself completely somewhere along the road of life.
The Men Who Are Disappearing in Plain Sight
That is what ED, a powerful upcoming film project is all about. Ed is a character, yes, but also a condition. We all know what “having E.D.” in the bedroom means—Ed is coated in this inability in all arenas of his life. Ed is depressed, whether formally diagnosed or not. His energy, his vitality/life force has been squashed into nearly nothing.
In the film, we find him at the end of a last ditch attempt to awaken SOME kind of feeling. Feeling of any kind. He has all the right but wrong stimulants: playmates, drugs, alcohol, food, online stimulation… and yet he is absolutely numb. The motel he is holed up in serves as both cocoon and coffin. His shame has nearly paralyzed him completely.
Ed might not be you. You may not identify in any way with Ed, but you absolutely know him. Perhaps the key question is: Will you have the courage to really see him and meet him where he is? He is your brother, co-worker, friend who is disappearing in plain sight. He is the quiet one on the outside, little by little retreating into the shell of non-existence.
Will anyone notice when he is gone? Maybe he already is, or so he thinks.
At its heart, that is what this article and the film ED are about—a chance to break all the supposed divides.
It’s a conversation about what it means to just BE instead of labeling “this is the right kind of man and this is sissy and wrong” or “these qualities are acceptable, these are not.”
Look closer at the shame baked into phrases like “seeking masc men only” or “no fems”. Look closer at the silent man in the corner, sipping his Coca-Cola, laughing at the barbaric jokes but the humor never reaching his eyes. Look closer at the emotional chasm between real connection and the layers of “don’t look at me, I am hideous” shame that keeps so many of us separated—from others, yes, but perhaps worst of all, from our Selves.
Masculinity, Desire, and the Courage to Be Seen
We begin shooting the film in New Mexico in early September and would be honored if you felt moved to be a part of it by making a donation. Our plan is to use the film as a conversation starter, a sober beacon of hope, and a springboard to embrace the seeming lost parts of ourselves.
We CAN rise up. We can begin again. There is a re-birth available to us, to you; to me. It starts by really seeing and it continues with, “I see you. I am not afraid or ashamed of you. What do you need and how may I help?”
#edthemovie2026
Donations for ED, the movie, can be made by scanning the QR code here:
The link is to Fractured Atlas which allows donations of over $250 to be tax deductible.
Follow #edthemovie2026 on: Instagram | Facebook
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Justin Ross is the Executive Vice-President of Development and Production at Bohemia Group Originals in Hollywood, a regular consultant for Roadmap Writers, a trauma-informed teacher and healer and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. ED marks his directorial debut.
