In the Company of Men

In the Company of Men

Back in 1997, nobody knew what to make of filmmaker Neil LaBute. On a budget of 250 thousand and starring an unknown named Aaron Eckhart, LaBute made a deliberately ugly movie about misogyny that puts the audience in the head of the men, and the idea works because back then LaBute was an incredible writer. Largely forgotten today, LaBute had about 10 years when he was looked at as a major talent starting with this film. Because of the quality of the writing, it was believed that LaBute was exposing male ugliness, but not practicing it himself. Today that answer is less clear. What is clear is that a micro-budget crew – with only 2 Assistant Directors – came together for an 11-day shoot and made a film that launched one career and if watched is not easily forgotten.