It takes a particularly strong hook to sell me on a documentary, as escapism and movie magic fantasy are more my cup of tea. Enter: Manhood, a riveting deep-dive into men’s mental health, masculine ideals, and… penile enhancement. From World of Wonder, producers of the Drag Race franchise, this searing doc was far more gripping than expected. Utilizing multiple players to tell its overarching narrative, Dallas aesthetics ambassador Bill strives to make his girth-enhancing penile injections as widespread as Botox. We get the viewpoint of married father Ruben and OnlyFans star David to approach varying angles of unique body enhancement. At times, Manhood begins to feel like a bit of an advertisement. But when it dips toes into the emotional angle, it becomes incredibly human and surprisingly deep.
In the opening credits of Manhood, director Daniel Lombroso inundates the viewer with overtly masculine imagery, including pornography, messages about hair growth, images of muscle and the ideal man, searching for average penis length, and asking the ultimate question: is bigger better? Despite beginning in a rather clinical way involving needles, this abrasive opener serves to underline the larger ideas at play. Who gets to define masculinity? Why is it more acceptable for women to get breast implants or Botox, but for men, virtually unheard of? The booming multi-billion dollar field of sexual medicine, sparked from the rise of Viagra in the 1970s, shows no signs of slowing down.
Bill and his anti-aging medical spa have come to fill a need, and his motives seem utterly transparent. Sure, there’s money to be made from the industry, but Bill seems to genuinely want to help those involved in fulfillment of an aching need inside them. He openly confesses of his own image obsession, taking advantage of numerous opportunities for betterment, including the use of his own revolutionary method of girth enhancement, called Phallofill. Bill’s upbringing as a gay man in the American south certainly seems paramount to his want to smooth out difficult situations for others. No one should be bullied or body shamed for a failure to conform to traditional health and beauty standards, nor should others be looked down upon for pursuing an avenue of betterment. Bill speaking about the true power of BDE—”big dick energy”—in those he treats speaks to his character. Many of those he has treated have had not only an increase in libido and confidence afterward, but a noticeable change to their mental health.
Occasionally, the heavy focus on Bill and his Phallofill can come across like an infomercial. Only briefly do we get insight into the costs of such a procedure, which could seem astronomical to some. After awhile, we understand quite plainly that Bill and the filmmakers view Bill’s approach as well above others in the same industry. Thankfully, there is less of a focus on this angle when Manhood starts getting into the darker side of the industry. David has been seemingly permanently botched by a crooked doctor offering “permanent fillers” such as liquid silicone. This has created awful complications for David, including massive lumps and deformities on his genitalia that are hideous to behold. The documentary goes into the garish methods of this doctor, including a personal interview with him detailing his approach. Bill forms a beautiful friendship with David, helping him along on a journey to find a surgeon that can potentially repair the devasting damage. In Bill’s kindness, all sense of vanity has vanished. He could have easily just pointed David in another direction, or told him he was a lost cause.
On the alternate side of things, the documentary also covers Ruben, a standard straight man looking to spice things up in the bedroom with his wife after the birth of their numerous children. Compared to David, Ruben’s journey presents an entirely standard, probably more everyday look at the enhancements, and how they can affect mood and sexual drive. Eventually, a sort of epilogue gives us a look at all three men, and how this process has changed their life. While it would have been nice to get a broader look into the world of penile enhancement rather than the strict focus on Bill and his Phallofill, there’s plenty here that should spark conversation. A compelling deep dive into this untapped world, the graphic imagery manages to provide a thoughtful compliment for its tender expose of male body image.
Manhood screened at 2026’s SXSW Film & TV Festival.
