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SOFTIES: New series tackles the challenges of young men!
The series “Softies”, developed by the Babelsberg Film University, highlights the challenges of young men and has been running on RTL+ since June 6th.
SOFTIES: New series tackles the challenges of young men!
The world premiere of the new series “Softies” took place last Thursday at the series camp in Cologne. Created by film university students Yves Guillaume and Jonathan Westphal, the production highlights the challenges facing young men today. “Softies” addresses the pressure to perform, self-doubt and the search for a new form of masculinity that also allows for feelings and vulnerability filmuniversitaet.de reported.
The series started on June 6th on the streaming platform RTL+ and consists of five episodes, each about 20 minutes long. The plot follows three young men: Marvin, the sporty heartthrob, Hassan, who struggles with self-doubt, and Joshi, who is unable to commit. Despite their relationships with women, the protagonists each struggle with personal issues related to mental health, body image and fear of committed relationships.
The concept behind “Softies”
The series' young target audience is men in their 20s who, according to a survey by Plan International (2023), feel weak when they show their emotions. This survey also showed that 59 percent of 18 to 35 year olds in Germany train for an athletic body in order to correspond to the ideal of a “real man”. digitaltelevision.de describes the series as a humorous alternative to common depictions of masculinity.
As the story progresses, the friends try to deal with their emotional complexes by resorting to Viagra, drugs, one-night stands and flirt coaches instead of talking about their fears and insecurities. However, a twist emerges in the final episode as the protagonists reveal their inner thoughts and begin to open up.
Production and reception
“Softies” was produced in collaboration with UFA Fiction and received the support of Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. Jonathan Westphal and Yves Guillaume won the RTL+ series competition “Storytellers” in 2023 from over 80 submissions. The positive response after the premiere is remarkable; Journalists such as Nicole Ankermann from n-TV and Michael Müller from The Spot have already highlighted the series.
In addition to Damian Hardung, Samir Salim and Oskar Redfern in the main roles, the cast also includes Aysha Joy Samuel and Carmen Redeker in important female roles. Other contributors include Ana Maria Alarcón Quinche and Nasim Karimi Nejad in the scenography and Georg Henner Tabeling and Maira Vazquez Leven in the editing. tuwien.at provides further context on the challenges faced by young men in today's society.
“Softies” is not only an entertainment show, but also a significant step in the portrayal of masculinity in the media. The series encourages men to talk about their feelings and break free from societal expectations. Viewers can look forward to the development of the characters and the thematic depth of the remaining episodes.