Half Man Review: Richard Gadd's Unflinching Drama on Male Trauma
Following the stratospheric success of Baby Reindeer, Richard Gadd returns with another brutally honest and fiercely intelligent television drama. Half Man, conceived before his previous breakthrough, arrives in the slipstream of that triumph to deliver a harrowing exploration of the damage men inflict upon each other.
A Brutal Beginning and Complex Backstory
The drama opens in a dark barn where two men circle each other with palpable tension. Niall, portrayed by Jamie Bell in full Scottish wedding attire, faces Ruben, played by Gadd himself, stripped to the waist with hands wrapped like a boxer. This ominous confrontation sets the stage for what unfolds across six brutal episodes that flash back over thirty years.
We first encounter fifteen-year-old Niall, played by Mitchell Robertson, enduring relentless bullying from classmates. His difficult day worsens when he learns that Ruben, the seventeen-year-old son of his mother's partner, is being released from a young offenders' institute and will be moving into their home. Ruben, portrayed in younger years by Stuart Campbell, arrives with a violent history that includes biting off another boy's nose.
The Toxic Bond Between Brothers
The two teenagers share Niall's bedroom after Ruben replaces the younger boy's belongings with his own possessions. Their relationship evolves into something resembling sibling bonds, with Ruben coining the phrase "My brother from another lover" that becomes both a refrain and a subtle threat throughout their lives.
Ruben initially protects Niall from bullies, then assists in taking his virginity in a scene that exemplifies Gadd's signature blend of desire, coercion, tenderness, and hatred. However, the price Ruben exacts escalates relentlessly over the years, operating more on survival instinct and animal cunning than calculated malice.
Exploring Masculinity and Responsibility
The drama presents Ruben as a case study in how terrorized individuals become terrorizers themselves. He instinctively senses vulnerability in others and exploits it, but the series courageously interrogates whether men like Ruben can control their violent impulses when thwarted or when attempting to show affection.
Half Man asks profound questions about when and how men must take responsibility for their actions, examining not just extreme cases like Ruben but also less toxic versions of masculinity represented by Niall and the shadowy father figures throughout the narrative.
Performances That Leave Nothing Unsaid
The cast delivers phenomenal performances that elevate the material. Mitchell Robertson and Stuart Campbell turn in career-making portrayals as the younger versions of Niall and Ruben, while Jamie Bell demonstrates career-best form as the adult Niall. Gadd himself once again pulls out his emotional viscera, examining every bloody organ of human experience with surgical precision.
While the drama has minor weaknesses, particularly in its underwritten female characters and a final detonation that some might question, these remain quibbles against the overwhelming power of the whole. The women, including Niall's mother played by Neve McIntosh, sometimes appear obtuse regarding Ruben's relationship with her son, but this doesn't diminish the overall impact.
A Necessary Viewing Experience
Half Man stands as a bleak and brilliant achievement in television drama. It leaves viewers with the rare sensation that everyone involved has given their absolute best, creating something that cannot be found wanting in any meaningful sense.
If Jack Thorne's Adolescence deserves screening in schools, then Half Man requires viewing in every place where men gather. Ruben represents an extreme case on a spectrum that affects nearly half the population, suggesting that none of these dynamics can be considered acceptable. Gadd's drama shows us exactly why with unflinching honesty and artistic bravery.
The series premieres on BBC iPlayer in the UK from 6am on Friday 24 April, with HBO Max broadcasting in the United States and Stan streaming in Australia.
