American Circumcision (2017) User Reviews

Foreskin Forever!

[StrictlyConfidential · 7/10 · 7 August 2020]

Yee-Ouch!!.... Snip-Snip-Snip!.... Like - Whose penis is it, anyway?

IMO - Male circumcision is a real-life horror story for its unsuspecting victim (a newborn baby boy). I believe that the stress and trauma that this accepted medical procedure can have on a baby is very likely to stay with him right up into adulthood.

This informed and well-researched documentary about foreskin circumcision certainly offers a lot of heated opposition to this horrendous and unwarranted procedure that the American medical profession openly promotes and encourages to this very day.

Barbaric practice

[pietclausen · 8/10 · 17 December 2018]

I have always considered circumcision of males and females to be a barbaric practice and this documentary confirms this stance.

What adults want to do with their bodies is their decision. For example, I do not like tattoos, which I consider to be mutilation, but I am not against it. That is your decision.

Leave babies' bodies alone, other than for real medical problems. When the kids grow up let them then decide what they want. It's as simple as that and conforms with human rights and common sense.

Unfortunately too many places in the world still have past customs which will not easily change. Laws are not always correct. On remote Pacific islands cannibalism is apparently still practised too. What a terrible thought.

I'm circumcised and...

[MehdiTaba · 7/10 · 8 October 2019]

If you are a caring person then you have to watch this. Especially parents!

I'm circumcised and I've never felt good about it and I'm not perfectly sure about the whole situation around this subject matter, but I'm sure this is not the right way to it, that's obvious!

People must think twice about this cruel act...

6.7/10

Comprehensive documentary on modern American circumcision

[caswelltori · 10/10 · 17 November 2017]

Wow. This film really is shining a light on something hidden in plain sight here in America. Its extremely well done, in depth and concise. Highlighting the most prominent voices on both sides of this heated debate; it's thought provoking and balanced. This film is not an emotional high jacking, it's truly an education. I loved it.

Food for Thought

[reneereives · 6/10 · 20 December 2018]

This gave me food for thought. It definitely could have interviewed more people, as in maybe Europeans, where this is uncommon. Overall, not bad but the thing that burns my biscuits is at the end, hearing, "This is the human rights issue of the 21st century." Oh I'm sorry, are the people dying across the world in Myanmar, Yemen, Syria, and elsewhere to take a back seat to something that can be changed with a pamphlet? Even when she somewhat remedied her statement by just containing it to the US, there's still a problem. We have issues that are way bigger than this, that can be changed with education, occurring. Let me not diminish the argument or this film, but Jiminey Christmas. Alright doc, a few problematic people I could do without, including the pro-circumcision bloke from Australia and this woman that seems like she gave her life up for foreskin, but overall okay. Had the makings of so many other biased films with dramatic music. Unnecessary as well as some other pieces. I just need facts and knowing the US is the only industrialized country to do this is pretty much a huge selling point for parents to maybe have the discussion of not doing it.

Outstanding Documentary

[jamesd-18 · 10/10 · 25 December 2017]

'American Circumcision' begins with a beautifully filmed dramatization of a baby boy about to be cut, but stops short of the "procedure." We're whisked to Washington DC, during 'Genital Integrity Awareness Week' where activists interact with the public. The film continues at a swift pace that doesn't let up for an hour and forty minutes. The wide range of scenes and interviews that follow are very compelling, Marotta's skillful editing weaves everything together seamlessly. The information flows. There are moments of profound insight, deep sorrow, a few laughs and some unexpected reveals. The audience I saw this with paid rapt attention until the credits.

The music by John Allen Graves underscores the movie perfectly contributing to the profound gravitas.

'American Circumcision' is unique, a must see, award-winning documentary for anyone who wants to be informed about this issue. It's Brendon Marotta's first full-length documentary film as director.

Good film horrible crew.

[david_carter-87009 · 6/10 · 30 April 2018]

The film needed to be made, it's just sad that it was made by a group of money hungry fame seekers. This documentary should be accessible to the public not locked up for a profit. That's literally what this film discusses, people doing the wrong thing for profits. Now the irony is full circle.

A MUST WATCH FOR NEW PARENTS, (and everyone)

[jordan-41009 · 10/10 · 24 November 2019]

Wow. I cried multiple times throughout this film. So powerful. Your mind WILL BE BLOWN.

American Circumcision shows the top voices on both sides of the circumcision debate, with such depth and clarity, I feel like I have a much deeper understanding of this issue after watching this film.

Every moment is engaging, as the movie tells both the human story of circumcision as well as delving into the science of it.

EVERY new parent neeeeds to watch this. Circumcision is the human rights issue of our century, and this movie demonstrates with incredible care and intelligence why. Please please please watch this so you can make the right decision for your son, and be educated on WHY this is the right decision. I'm literally sharing this with every person I know!

Very biased documentary

[stephaniewace · 2/10 · 20 December 2018]

I am one who is not in favour for circumcision, however, I found this documentary to be very biased. If you're going to cover a topic, you should at least explore both sides of the story. I don't believe circumcision is necessary at all, but it should still be explored as to how most circumcised men feel about the issue. I have spoken to many cicumcised men and many of them don't care that they were circumcised and actually, many of them were happy. As terrible as it sounds, many men are facing a social stigma for having an uncircumcised penis. I have hear terrible stories of men being made fun of by women for being uncircumcised. I have actually spoken to women who said they don't like uncircumsied penises. The social stigma is still alive in North America and this issue should absolutely be explored. We should be speaking to men who have chosen to circumcise and men who were angry that their parents who didn't circumcise them when they were a baby. This issue is not black and white, it is still very grey and this documentary does not cover that at all. The movie makes it feel like it is 100% black and white.

Also, a lot of the facts were wrong as well. The number of cucumcisons happening within the first few days of birth is steadily decreasing and it's much more popular and recommended when the infant is 3 months. They numb the area completely and treat the pain with Advil. Doctors not waiting the full 5 mins for the numbing cream to work is false, many doctors wait. This documentary is pushing fear tactics and that is not proper journalism.

Somber at times, but also uplifting

[rlow1994 · 10/10 · 8 April 2018]

In the theatre I saw it in, we could hear what seemed like most of the audience sobbing at one point (not about the graphic depiction of the surgery, but rather about a person's anguish while sadly expressing their regrets about not being better informed before allowing a loved one to be cut).

But that sort of intensity is broken up by moments when those who would deny a male the right to make his own choice look positively ridiculous, and don't seem to realize how sill they sound.

The film also provides uplift by highlighting some men who have been able to undo the predictable sexual damage of circumcision to an extent.

Very well told - fair and balanced. I hope all expecting families see this before delivering.

Horribly biased

[betholarsch · 1/10 · 5 January 2019]

Yes, the film explores a topic that many Americans haven't thought about, but it doesn't explain the other side, only debunking claims of health benefits from doctors. In the Jewish tradition boys are circumcised at 8 days because it's when the blood starts to clot but before the nerve endings have formed. And the real reason was for cleanliness, as hygienic standards were different in biblical times and it was common for men to be inflicted with diseases as a result.

I'm not saying it's justified, I would like to understand the rationale from a medical perspective.

This Movie Brought My Family Together

[stevemillercirc · 10/10 · 12 September 2018]

I was circumcised as a baby and was traumatized when I learned about it as a young child in sex ed. I bottled up my emotions for a decade, thinking I could push the issue to the back of my mind but I never succeeded. I suffered anxiety and depression, which negatively impacted my life and strained my relationship with my parents. When we watched this movie together as a family, we were in tears as all the pain, grief, and sorrow were finally expressed. Now we know we are not alone and I have been able to at last turn a new page in my life. I want to thank the producers of this film for bringing this issue to light and for their tireless efforts to protect babies and the men they will grow up to be.

This documentary is not just informative but also healing for the families whose lives have been changed forever by infant circumcision.

Informative documentary on the unspoken dilemma

[lilbbgambini · 10/10 · 18 February 2021]

Exposes the taboo subject in America. Very informative. Would recommend.

Finally, an outlet for truth

[emae0605 · 10/10 · 7 April 2018]

I can't describe how happy I am that this film has been made. These voices need to be heard and this is a huge outlet. I hope it becomes more and more widely available to see and that it changes the hearts and minds of many.

I tried....

[mtman-32804 · 1/10 · 5 January 2019]

Well I tried to watch it but I got as far as the guy who is an expert on foreskin orgasms. I thought it would be interesting to see a documentary that actually just reported both sides of the issue. This was clearly made by the people who for some ungodly reason, feel the need to take this cause on. I find all of the pro people in here a bit creepy and fit the category as a little bit wacky... like that 60 year old hippy pot dealer down the street. Do yourself a favor and keep scrolling. These people are drama queens.

Very Informative Documentary

[kayleegassads · 10/10 · 24 June 2019]

First of all, whoever thought this was only showing child rape??? C'mon now, this tragedy needs to be addressed. If you didn't like some parts of it, which who would "like" any of it, then you could have easily fast forwarded or turned it off. Also I'll add, the facts are on point. If you disagree, then show the scientific articles proving your point. Please delight me. Watch this if you are open to being educated and AWARE.

Very Biased

[fleck05IMDB · 1/10 · 5 May 2019]

The documentary claims to present both sides. If the filmmakers wanted to give a biased anti-circumcision view (which this is) that's fine, but claiming they cover both views is a lie. And the reviewer that claims he was traumatized when he learned this happened to him as an infant, it must be nice to have a life with no real problems.

A Film for Liberty and Justice for All

[nateburnett · 10/10 · 2 September 2018]

This film gives you the liberty to see and hear what is actually happening from an infant's point of view. The baby is the one going through the circumcision procedure, it's important to understand what is happening to him and how the medical system can fail us all.

Bold. Thorough. Informative. Inspiring

[zzack-56032 · 10/10 · 2 September 2018]

The ideas within this film are discussed from both sides. The issue is presented in a way that provokes meaningful thought and discussion.

I'm glad for this movie. Any inspiring documentarian or film maker should watch it.

I would also, of course, encourage anyone learning about medicine, bio ethics, psychology, public health, anthropology or even religious studies to watch this film and to consider its merits.

Serious film enthusiasts will appreciate the boldness of the discussion. Few who watch the movie in full will be able to speak the same of routine circumcision.

Those who treat this film with dismissive flippancy have probably not watched it or given it serious thought and introspection.

Thank you for this film.

The Most Important Film of the Year

[khazwolf-12160 · 10/10 · 17 September 2018]

This documentary is long overdue, covering a subject that desperately needs more awareness. It does so fairly, giving adequate time to most of the big names on all sides. Whatever your stance on the issue you'll see your case represented here, and see it challenged.

If you're a parent deciding on circumcision, you desperately need to watch this. Even if you're not, it's 100 minutes of vital information that will probably have surprises even for those who consider themselves knowledgable.

As to be expected a few moments are difficult to watch, but this film does not make its point with shock and cheap manipulation. It's a serious documentary that is sympathetic to the audience, while facing them with difficult realities about something that affects a third of all men on earth. Realities we rarely discuss, but desperately need to.

If I could rate this higher than 10, I would.

Biased and left out some important material

[cinephile17 · 3/10 · 19 November 2019]

This documentary is obviously anti circumcision from the very start of the film. It was stated that hygiene is not a factor for getting circumcised, however, I would like to point out as a health care worker, elderly males who are uncircumcised have a higher risk of yeast infections and urinary tract infections. Hygiene overall declines with age. Might I suggest the director and producers of this film visit a nursing home and do some additional research? Also, the old mundane argument of "babies can't decide for themselves yadda yadda" okay, so has any grown adult male ever sought to have a circumcision then? Why are we like this with foreskin, but not tonsils, adenoids, wisdom teeth, etc. Anyways, if you're anti circ then you will love this movie. If you are looking for a fair balanced argument on a controversial topic then I'd look elsewhere.

The Circumcision crime Hides behind social hot butons

[nastyburn · 10/10 · 18 May 2018]

I have seen the previews of this documentary and hope it will eventually work its way to NETFLIX. I see old Schoen a Jewish doctor smiling and making his now outrageous grasps at why this butchery can be medically justified. Thank God he is now DEAD. And the outrageous non doctor pretending to be one, Brian Morris. This man's looks give me the creeps and he has been a long time circumcision fetish enthusiast , even having phoney names and associated with Vernon Quintenance, a British postal worker arrested for sexual assault two years ago upon young boys. So here is the line up for those who would exaggerate medical claims and even write books about why to circumcise. Marilyn Milos I have met personally and she is one of the most compassionate women I have ever known.

You can't intentionally film a rape and mutilation and stand for human rights.

[duckduckduc · 1/10 · 26 December 2017]

Negates the whole purpose of the film.

Male genital mutilation is a sex crime.

What essentially happened is someone profiting off the collaboration, production, and distribution of child rape.

Hard to fault

[Shuggy · 9/10 · 22 September 2018]

I warmly recommend this movie, even for people who think the subject holds no interest, or for those whose minds are made up, one way or the other.

Its focus is firmly on the US custom that began in the late 19th century, peaked in the 1960s - so that the great majority of middle-aged US men have no foreskin (nor any knowledge of it except folklore, largely wrong) - and is declining much more slowly than it has in the rest of the English-speaking world.

I especially appreciate the way it made use of genital cutting advocates, by simply letting them say their piece and then presenting the facts that undermine their arguments. In this sense the film was "balanced" but the balance of the facts is firmly against the custom, as the rest of the developed world silently shows.

In the segment on Female Genital Cutting, the advocate Fuambai Sia Ahmadu could say how she thought it benefitted her, and spell out the similarities to Male Genital Cutting - contrary to popular opinion - herself. FGC was briefly sanctioned by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2010, in the form of a token ritual nick, "much less extensive than routine newborn male genital cutting" in the AAP's own words. Only an outcry by Intactivists and then feminists caused the policy to be "retired" within a month.

The editing between speakers was excellent, some seeming almost to complete each other's sentences. We could have seen a bit less of the Capitol building as wallpaper: a Federal age-restriction on male genital cutting, like that on all female cutting including the most exact equivalent, is not likely any time soon. One striking omission was any actual photograph of a normal adult penis, or the unique rolling action of the foreskin, much easier to show than to describe. It's not just a "flap". It is a shame that the film seems to have succumbed to the same reluctance to be explicit that has so helped the custom to become the US norm.

Particularly striking was the contribution of Shannondoah Dartsch, a mother who had only learnt the previous day that what had been bothering her about her son's operation was in fact a botch (buried penis). The lack of good data on the frequency of such negative outcomes was one focus.

The many people working on this multi-facetted issue, each speaking in their own specialties, were all very well captured in all their idiosyncracies. Marilyn Milos grew tearful describing how she can never apologise enough to her sons, but how her work against the custom offers some solace - cut to the rather strange Australian scientist Brian Morris, mocking her "emotionalism".

Male genital cutting advocate and former AAP Circumcision Task Force chair Edgar Schoen's heartlessness towards men who do complain spoke for itself. One of those was (was) the very personable Jonathon Conte who described how it contributed to his depression ... the film is dedicated to his memory.

Important for all American parents

[mrw-45182 · 9/10 · 23 January 2022]

As a physician from a European country, where circumcision is not routinely performed on babies, I can.state that the research in that documentary was correct and the arguments were valid (ok, that guy with the frenulum orgasm was ridiculous).

For no male in Western societies exists a necessity for a preventive circumcision. Yes, uncircumcised boys may have small infections from time to time on their foreskin, but those are mild and harmless. Phimosis is also quite common and often treatable with steroid ointment - harmless.

Penile cancer, another argument for circumcision is nowadays completely preventable with the HPV vaccination, also recommended for boys. Also, if this argument would be valid, let's do a preventive.cervix conization for all girls to prevent cervical cancer.

The transmission of HIV being less with circumcision is crazy as a) you should use a condom to protect yourself against all other STDs anyway and b) for the majority of heterosexual men, HIV is relatively rare anyway.

Also, I cannot hear this hygiene argument anymore. This is completely idiotic. As you take a shower everyday, so does your glans - that's it. We could also start to remove women's inner labia for the same reason.

The advantages of keeping your foreskin on the other hand are numerous, when it comes to sexual function.

As for religion, I want to provoke a thought experiment: let's assume, I now found a religion where we sacrifice the 4th left toe of every child to God. Would you forbid this religion and this practice? Why? The 4th toe has less function than the foreskin! Only because my religion is 2,000-3,000 years younger than yours? Where is my religious freedom?

As you can see from my comments, the documentary is thought provoking in itself.