MENlancholy

After my mother's sudden death in 2019, my father was left alone. The first years were the hardest emotionally for all of us, but especially for him. The deep attachment formed over decades of successful relationships was seriously tested. But my father chose the path of a man who is not committed to new relationships, the path of a loner. The generally accepted image of a man is more associated with the multiplicity of romantic relationships throughout life. Being in several relationships is considered a normal behavioral attribute of a “real” man. My father's story is in sharp dissonance with this “norm”. It made me take a critical look at the issue of masculinity. This project is about the fates of men who, regardless of age and social status, voluntarily or not remain without relationships. It's an attempt to uncover the reasons and, perhaps, understand what it is like to be a man beyond gender stereotypes. What it is like to return home every evening where no one is waiting for you. Except for loneliness, which everyone lives in their own way.