Shut Him Down: The Rise of Jordan Peterson offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the firestorm sparked by psychology professor Jordan Peterson’s stance against Canadian human rights legislation in late 2016 and his meteoric rise to global fame for denouncing political correctness.

Filmmaker Patricia Marcoccia was able to follow psychology professor Jordan Peterson as he navigated his way through the biggest controversy of his career. With candid interviews and unparalleled access to Peterson, his family, and to transgender and social justice activists who opposed his views, the documentary provides a fascinating look at this internationally-scrutinized dispute.

Sparking both outrage and support, Peterson’s criticisms of Bill C-16 and policies that enforce the rights of non-binary gender identification were met with protests and calls for his dismissal from his tenured university position, as well as an outpouring of social and financial support through online donations.

Shut Him Down explores how many people, from activists to legal scholars, did not believe Peterson was genuinely concerned with free speech, and some condemned his views as transphobic. Among his growing base of supporters, however, he was hailed as a hero for civil liberties. His public lectures, which were critical of political correctness, made him an in-demand and highly-paid speaker. Since this documentary was filmed, his 2018 book 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos went on to become an international bestseller.

Shut Him Down takes an unprecedented look at Jordan Peterson and examines the tension between free speech and hate speech, exploring points-of-view of those on both sides of this heightened debate.