A One Mann’s Movies review of “Men” (2022).
An Alex Garland feature film is to be greatly anticipated. His debut – “Ex Machina” – is a firm favourite and his second movie “Annihilation” certainly had its moments. Indeed, his third feature, “Men”, has a 5* opening, with striking and memorable imagery. But then, oh dear! It descends into an artsy and bloody morass, trying too hard to hammer home a message before crash-landing.
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
Harper (Jessie Buckley) escapes to a small Gloucestershire village following the tragic death of her troubled husband James (Paapa Essiedu). But Harper has increasingly bizarre encounters with the the men who live in the village (all Rory Kinnear!)
Certification:
Talent:
Starring: Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear, Paapa Essiedu, Gayle Rankin.
Directed by: Alex Garland.
Written by: Alex Garland.
Twitter Handles: #men_movie.
Men Review:
Positives:
- I thought that the first 45 minutes or so of “Men” was brilliantly conceived. Harper is the original ‘Eve’, dropped into the Garden of Eden and full of wonder at the natural sights and sounds she experiences. (With this metaphorical imagery, the movie strongly reminded me of the equally mind-bending “mother!“). All of this is brought vividly to life by a stunning performance by Buckley (I would tip her for an Oscar nomination for this one) and spectacular cinematography (by Alex Garland regular Rob Hardy).
- Garland knows how to ramp up strong feelings of discomfort in the audience as he introduces us to the motley collection of villagers. What is real? What is imaginary? Does Harper even recognise that all the men look the same? Or is she just seeing them as a faceless amalgum of misogynistic “Men”? Garland leaves us with nothing but questions.
- The finale comprises an extraordinary and increasingly disturbing progression of gory body-horror that the special effects guys should be commended for.
- Elton John’s “Love Song” makes a brilliant addition to the soundtrack: what a great (and rather obscure) track this is.
Negatives:
- The film is probably open to multiple interpretations. But Garland’s message seems clear to me: all men as misogynist beasts. They are intent on nothing but a good fuck, albeit also having a desperate need to also be loved. In the local church, men are represented by a gurning stone image of the ‘Green Man’; woman by the reverse-side image of a ‘Sheela na Gig’: a carving of a naked woman with vulva invitingly held open. The misogyny is passed down from generationto generation, each rebirth fails to progress man beyond these primeval urges. As a man, this all felt depressingly insulting and pandering to an unquestioning ‘metoo’ agenda.
- The gruesome finale feels like it is building to a massive revelation: an orgasm of light and comprehension. But actually what we get is a damp squib. The titles come. And we all say “Oh!… is that it?”
Summary Thoughts on “Men”:
This is a movie that is a challenging watch and I would say it is at the very top end of getting away with a ’15’ certificate: a scene involving a letterbox and a knife is stomach-churningly gruesome. Surely, twenty years ago, this together with the body-horror scenes in the finale would have merited an ’18’ certificate.
Note that there are also scenes of domestic violence that might be triggering for victims of abuse.
While cinema should show ‘park your brain at the door’ comedies and actioners, there should also by room for movies that are challenging and provoke discussion. And this A24 offering is one such example, bound to launch thousands of student film-studies dissertations. It has the provocative imagery of “mother!“; the brooding psychological horror of “Censor“; the creepy-village vibe of “Village of the Damned” and the body-horror of a Cronenberg. Yet, after its 5* opening, the messaging felt to me like I was being repeatedly slapped around the head by a soggy and blood soaked arm. And – deploying the hashtag #notallmen – it’s a message that just doesn’t resonate with me.
Trailer for “Men”
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt81CJcWZy8 .
[…] is one of my favourite films of all time; “Annihilation” had its moments; with “Men“, he rather came off the rails; but with “Civil War”, he really comes good again. […]