Cain and Abel have nothing on Niall and Ruben, the combative Scottish “brothers from another lover” who are each other’s worst nightmare. These men forge a mutually self-destructive though unshakable bond over three decades in Half Man, Richard Gadd‘s emotionally harrowing and psychologically shattering follow-up to his Emmy-winning Baby Reindeer.

If Reindeer made you cringe, Half Man will make you squirm as the sensitive Niall (Jamie Bell) and the volatile Ruben (Gadd) provoke each other from traumatic childhood into a stunted adulthood. They fight as mismatched soul brothers do, reconcile and start the process all over again until their devastating final encounter. Their bizarre relationship, played out over six chapters that jump years, is shadowed by a cloud of toxic masculinity (Ruben’s) and sexual insecurity (Niall’s) that renders them both, in their and others’ eyes, as deeply damaged and, yes, half men.

Originally published on tvinsider.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

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