Make More Movies: Jacob Gregor on 'End of History' (Ep. 5)

Jacob Gregor’s sophomore feature is a scathing deconstruction of what being terminally online can do to one’s psyche, establishing him as a vital filmmaking voice in the current divisive climate. A man (Matt Calhoun) sits alone in his room watching a motivational YouTube video on his laptop. He has just returned home from doing push-ups in a desolate Aldi parking lot. The video preaches of taking control of one’s life, shaming people who don’t have the drive to do the same. “I was done with mediocrity. I was meant for more,” the unnamed vlogger in the video states. “Most people won’t accomplish anything with their lives, too afraid to break out of the matrix that is our reality. There is nothing worthwhile in 80 percent of people.” The anonymous influencer recommends traveling to Alaska as a means to finding renewed purpose. Our nameless protagonist proceeds to film himself slamming furniture in his backyard in some sort of DIY “rage room” fashion before working out more, listening to podcasts about how men should treat themselves as businesses, and watching porn. Then, he gets in his car and sets off to do exactly what the motivational vlogger told him to do. Jacob Gregor’s End of History is a harrowing film, composed entirely of distant wide shots of the same lonely man. We learn little about him – he is simply referred to as “Man” in the film’s end credits — other than experiencing alongside him the content he listens to on a daily basis. The film gets to the root of the existence of a type of primal, toxic male who seeks validation through parasocial relationships with content creators. This underbelly of modern society has been growing in correlation with the rise of internet culture, giving a once silent majority — the “manosphere,” if you will — the runway to connect and convince others to start thinking the way they do. Gregor is a filmmaker deeply concerned with the current state of the country, especially due to the amount of hate and misinformation he sees being spread online. You can listen to Jacob expand upon his thoughts in the newest episode of Make More Movies. We dive deeper into his filmography prior to End of History, as well as discussing the film festival submission experience, the insincerity of YouTube filmmaking tutorials, and his slate of upcoming work. Check it out here.