What happens when an innocent character created in an artist's early adulthood morphs into a widely recognizable symbol of hatred only a decade later? This is the issue that underground comic book artist Matt Furie must grapple with as he seeks to reclaim his character, Pepe the Frog, from the grip of the Alt-Right. Pepe found himself in the cross hairs of this culture war. He was being used by white supremacists, misogynists, teenage fascists, as a way to obfuscate their agenda and also meme their ideas into the public consciousness. Things got so bad that in 2016 Pepe was officially declared a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation league. The film takes viewers on a wild journey through various corners of the internet to show how far one's creation can get away from their original intention and explores the power of symbols and iconography. If the genie cannot be put back in the bottle, can it at least be transformed into something else? Various artists, psychologists, lawyers, and internet culture analysts also share their perspective on this iconic cartoon frog. With trippy Furie-esque animations, Feels Good Man puts forward a message of hope and positivity to combat a constant cycle of cynicism and hatred.
What happens when an innocent character created in an artist's early adulthood morphs into a widely recognizable symbol of hatred only a decade later? This is the issue that underground comic book artist Matt Furie must grapple with as he seeks to reclaim his character, Pepe the Frog, from the grip of the Alt-Right. Pepe found himself in the cross hairs of this culture war. He was being used by white supremacists, misogynists, teenage fascists, as a way to obfuscate their agenda and also meme their ideas into the public consciousness. Things got so bad that in 2016 Pepe was officially declared a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation league. The film takes viewers on a wild journey through various corners of the internet to show how far one's creation can get away from their original intention and explores the power of symbols and iconography. If the genie cannot be put back in the bottle, can it at least be transformed into something else? Various artists, psychologists, lawyers, and internet culture analysts also share their perspective on this iconic cartoon frog. With trippy Furie-esque animations, Feels Good Man puts forward a message of hope and positivity to combat a constant cycle of cynicism and hatred.
