‘Alexander: The Making of a God’ premiered on Netflix on January 31, and it quickly became controversial for reportedly having inaccuracies, as well as for exploring same-sex relationship.
But before we get into the controversies, the official synopsis of ‘Alexander: The Making of a God’ reads:
“Alexander: The Making of a God is a six part docudrama series that reveals the extraordinary life of Alexander the Great through his radical transformation from warrior prince to living god. The series explores his rise as an exiled young man into his obsession with defeating the mighty Persian Emperor Darius that led him to conquer the known world in just under six years.”
Aside from the depiction of Alexander the Great’s life, portrayed by Buck Braithwaite, the show also incorporates “expert academic insight, ground-breaking archaeology and ongoing excavations at the archaeological site in Alexandria, Egypt led by Calliope Limneos-Papakosta.”
Moving on to the said controversies… First off, the series is being criticized for alleged inaccuracies in battle depictions and weapon representation. Another point of criticism from viewers and critics is the show’s focus on Alexander’s personal life rather than retelling more of his military accomplishments.
Not to mention, the docudrama also explores the same-sex relationship between Alexander and his close friend Hephaestion, which sparked controversy despite it aligning with historical speculation, as per MovieWeb.
Moreover, The Guardian‘s Matt Cain explained how LGBTQ+ stories have been wiped off of history in relation to the same-sex controversy in ‘Alexander: The Making of a God’.
“For centuries, LGBTQ+ history has been wiped from the record. Oppressors have found it all too easy to deny our existence because in most of the world – for most of history – our lives have had to be led in secret,” he stated.
The 49-year-old British writer and broadcaster continued,
“Of course, labels such as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender didn’t exist for most of history, making it impossible to know definitively how any figure would have identified in their own time. But it would be ridiculous to use this as justification for erasing us from the past. The understanding of our sexuality contributing to any sense of identity (rather than just sexual activity) may be a relatively modern one, but we have always been here.”
“For me, the response to Netflix’s series about Alexander the Great sums up why we need LGBT+ History Month […] Understanding history is empowering, and for too long queer people have been disempowered. History can teach us – and others – that we’ve always made a contribution to society, help us understand our place in the modern world and give us pride in who we are,” Cain concluded, further expressing about the importance of history in the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals.
‘Alexander: The Making of a God’ is available for streaming on Netflix.
Sources: movieweb.com, theguardian.com
Oh no people were gay in ancient times, so what. People today can be such asshole it’s docu series, just don’t watch.