New documentary asks how we can teach our boys to become better men

In 2016, Newfoundland filmmaker Justin Simms became the father of a son. Later that year, Donald Trump won his first term as president, fuelled by the rise of white supremacy and a particularly toxic form of masculinity. Simms was daunted by the prospect of being a father to a little white boy, born into middle-class privilege, and started to ask himself what he could do as a father to help him become a caring adult. He spent the next eight years making the documentary Sons, which premieres this month online at nfb.ca. We speak with Justin Simms from his home in St. John’s, Newfoundland.