'Louis Theroux's Forbidden America' delves into the internet's dark impact

Digging into controversial corners.

There are many different scenes in Louis Theroux's Forbidden America that stand out, but perhaps none more so than the image of the documentary maker being told to "go fuck yourself" by an angry, bearded man wearing a t-shirt with Theroux's own face plastered all over it.

The man in question is Kentucky-based Matt Evans, also known as Beardson Beardly, a controversial streamer/troll associated with far right U.S. commentator Nick Fuentes (Fuentes has been described by the Anti-Defamation League as a white supremacist). Evans invites Theroux into his home for an interview, before losing his temper after the presenter asks him about a video clip that appears to show him doing a Nazi salute.

The whole sequence is disturbing, uncomfortable to watch, at times almost comical, and perfectly reflective of Theroux's new series as a whole.

Forbidden America is a three-parter that explores how controversial U.S. subcultures have been affected by the internet and social media. We were given access to the first two episodes for the purposes of this review: Extreme and Online, which sees Theroux speaking to younger, often deplatformed members of the far right, and Rap's New Frontline, which sees him exploring the often dangerous line between music and gang violence in the Florida trap scene. A third episode, Porn and Power, will focus on the way the #MeToo movement has impacted the porn industry.

Theroux's new series feels both new and familiar. The presenter has long made a career of exploring complex niches of U.S. society, and the style of his new show features the same formula as usual: Theroux in front of the camera, speaking with multiple interviewees at their homes or various events and not being afraid to ask questions that lead to more than a few uncomfortable exchanges. In the two episodes we watched, as well as getting kicked out of Evans' home, Theroux has numerous face-to-face confrontations with members of the far right, challenges a rapper about a possible drug deal caught on a hot mic, and questions a different rapper charged with five counts of attempted murder about the violent lyrics in one of his songs.

Read on: [mashable.com]

Watch here: [bbc.co.uk]