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From incel culture to the White House: American Psycho’s dark hold on modern masculinity

As the musical version of the notoriously gory book returns to the stage, its tale of 80s yuppie nihilism feels more relevant than ever in the era of Andrew Tate, Trump and tech bros

I have just witnessed a murder. Spattered against the white walls of the Almeida theatre are several thin streaks of blood. Underneath them a particularly gruesome-looking hand axe rests on a table. And on the other side of the room, a clue to who the perpetrator might be. Discarded next to someone’s laptop is a business card – bone-coloured, raised black lettering – bearing a familiar name: Patrick Bateman.

Him again.

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© Photograph: Universal Pictures/Allstar

© Photograph: Universal Pictures/Allstar

© Photograph: Universal Pictures/Allstar

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‘It was a little scary at times’: the hilarious, heartbreaking film about one man’s riotous death

When André Ricciardi found out he had cancer, he asked a friend to film his final years. André Is an Idiot, the result, mixes in stop-motion puppetry to create an astonishing record of an extraordinary life

When André Ricciardi turned 50, his best friend Lee made an unusual proposition: how about they go and get a colonoscopy together? The pair had reached the qualifying age for men in the US to access the health check, and Lee had visions of them farting merrily on adjacent toilets while the medication flushed out their bowels, then chatting on hospital beds as tiny cameras travelled through their anal passages. André was always up for ridiculous stuff, but on this occasion he surprised Lee: he said no.

“I was 100% shocked,” says Lee today. “I actually got jealous because I assumed he must have organised to go with somebody else!” But André had not made other colonoscopy plans. He just thought it was a crazy idea and for once, he was being sensible. That turned out to be the stupidest thing he’d ever done. Eighteen months later, perturbed by blood in his stools, André did go for a colonoscopy. It turned out he had stage 4 cancer.

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© Photograph: A24

© Photograph: A24

© Photograph: A24

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