Protagonist

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Protagonist

R

2007

1h 30m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

35 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Documentarian Jessica Yu captures the lives of four disparate men who share a thread of commonality by evoking the dramatic structure of the Greek playwright Euripides. The group includes a German man who turned to terrorism; an abused son who became a bank robber; an evangelist claiming to be an "ex-gay" through religion; and a martial arts student who faced bullying in school. Each man, having experienced a troubled childhood, turns to his own method of therapy.

Critics Consensus

Protagonist skillfully intertwines its subjects' lives through an unexpected common thread -- Euripedes.

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Michael Phillips

Chicago Tribune

10/18/2008

2.5/4

Many will be moved by Protagonist and its reminders that we are all struggling to find versions of ourselves to live up to.

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Walter V. Addiego

San Francisco Chronicle

12/14/2007

3/4

At first, the technique seems gimmicky, but finally it's as compelling a perspective as any to understand how these men passed through agony to some sort of peace.

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Carina Chocano

Los Angeles Times

12/14/2007

4.5/5

Yu's film may be challenging to synopsize, but it's thoroughly engrossing and wildly surprising.

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David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

05/20/2020

Writer/director Jessica Yu plays with the dramatic form itself in this experimental doc with a kinky cast that includes an "ex-gay" evangelist.

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Robert Davis

Paste Magazine

06/09/2008

3.5/5

[Jessica Yu] combines the interviews with such skill that themes begin to emerge, a tangled thicket of men seeking to define themselves through strength, discipline and self-transformation.

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Louis Proyect

rec.arts.movies.reviews

04/22/2008

Truly artistic documentary about 4 men who led life at the edge and came back from the brink.

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Bahad j

08/20/2024

It's a lot of work from the recording and music team. The film can be seen. Because it has a great sound.

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08/20/2024

The documentary captures and reminds us all about what we find within ourselves and which version to look up to

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Geke g

07/29/2024

Iam really enjoyed every single second of it

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09/23/2014

We're all just living a Greek tragedy and Jessica Yu knows it.

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12/22/2012

kinda lame doc skip this one

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02/17/2011

Well edited look into the lives of four men and how certainty is never really certain.

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Jessica Yu

Director

Jessica Yu

Writer

Jessica Yu

Producer

Elise Pearlstein

Producer

Susan West

Producer

Greg Carr

Executive Producer

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Synopsis

Documentarian Jessica Yu captures the lives of four disparate men who share a thread of commonality by evoking the dramatic structure of the Greek playwright Euripides. The group includes a German man who turned to terrorism; an abused son who became a bank robber; an evangelist claiming to be an "ex-gay" through religion; and a martial arts student who faced bullying in school. Each man, having experienced a troubled childhood, turns to his own method of therapy.

Director: Jessica Yu
Producer: Jessica Yu, Elise Pearlstein, Susan West
Screenwriter: Jessica Yu
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Diorama Films
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 30, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $11.9K
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Dolby