Men Review: A Creepy, Mysterious Folk Horror Oddity That Will Leave You Both Disturbed And Puzzled
A24 By Chris Evangelista/May 9, 2022 12:00 pm EST
Alex Garland doesn’t hold his audience’s hand. Be it “Ex Machina,” “Annihilation,” or the FX series “Devs,” Garland’s recent work is deliberately mysterious, cloaked in more questions than answers. It’s to his credit as a storyteller that we get the clear sense that he knows the answers himself, but he’d rather leave us, the viewer, to figure them out. There will be no denouement that spells things out. No bit of expository dialogue that finally ignites a lightbulb above our heads. This may drive some viewers crazy, but it’s commendable that Garland is willing to trust his audience. “You may not have all the answers yet,” Garland’s work seems to be saying. “But that’s okay. Maybe you should think on it for a while and see where you end up.”
Garland’s latest, the gruesome folk horror curiosity “Men,” is no exception. Once again, the writer-director is deliberately taking us on a dark journey into the unknown, and willfully ignoring our questions. What does it all mean? Does it mean nothing at all? Your mileage here may vary, but Garland dolls out plenty of evocative imagery to plant seeds of knowledge in the darkest parts of our minds. None of this is to say “Men” is some impenetrable oddity. In some ways, this is one of Garland’s most straightforward films; a familiar horror story of a woman away from home, suddenly surrounded by malevolent forces. Garland traffics in horror movie tropes here, right down to a lengthy home invasion-style sequence that’s designed to give you the chills. And yet, nestled amongst all that familiarity is a strangeness; an uncanny world where everything is off-kilter and almost dream-like.
As “Men” begins, Harper Marlowe (Jessie Buckley) arrives at a quaint English country house tucked away in a small, quiet town. She’s there for a getaway — and she’s alone. We learn that she was married, but her husband James (Paapa Essiedu) has recently died. The circumstances of James’ death become more clear as “Men” unfolds, but it’s obvious from the start that Harper doesn’t want to talk about it. Harper is greeted upon her arrival by Geoffrey (Rory Kinnear), the ruddy, befuddled owner of the house. He seems pleasant enough, if somewhat awkward. But awkwardness aside, Harper appears ready to decompress in the country. Unfortunately, her sunny arrival is the last pleasant moment she’ll experience on this getaway.
Men Review: A Creepy, Mysterious Folk Horror Oddity That Will Leave You Both Disturbed And Puzzled
A24
By Chris Evangelista/May 9, 2022 12:00 pm EST
Alex Garland doesn’t hold his audience’s hand. Be it “Ex Machina,” “Annihilation,” or the FX series “Devs,” Garland’s recent work is deliberately mysterious, cloaked in more questions than answers. It’s to his credit as a storyteller that we get the clear sense that he knows the answers himself, but he’d rather leave us, the viewer, to figure them out. There will be no denouement that spells things out. No bit of expository dialogue that finally ignites a lightbulb above our heads. This may drive some viewers crazy, but it’s commendable that Garland is willing to trust his audience. “You may not have all the answers yet,” Garland’s work seems to be saying. “But that’s okay. Maybe you should think on it for a while and see where you end up.”
Garland’s latest, the gruesome folk horror curiosity “Men,” is no exception. Once again, the writer-director is deliberately taking us on a dark journey into the unknown, and willfully ignoring our questions. What does it all mean? Does it mean nothing at all? Your mileage here may vary, but Garland dolls out plenty of evocative imagery to plant seeds of knowledge in the darkest parts of our minds. None of this is to say “Men” is some impenetrable oddity. In some ways, this is one of Garland’s most straightforward films; a familiar horror story of a woman away from home, suddenly surrounded by malevolent forces. Garland traffics in horror movie tropes here, right down to a lengthy home invasion-style sequence that’s designed to give you the chills. And yet, nestled amongst all that familiarity is a strangeness; an uncanny world where everything is off-kilter and almost dream-like.
As “Men” begins, Harper Marlowe (Jessie Buckley) arrives at a quaint English country house tucked away in a small, quiet town. She’s there for a getaway — and she’s alone. We learn that she was married, but her husband James (Paapa Essiedu) has recently died. The circumstances of James’ death become more clear as “Men” unfolds, but it’s obvious from the start that Harper doesn’t want to talk about it. Harper is greeted upon her arrival by Geoffrey (Rory Kinnear), the ruddy, befuddled owner of the house. He seems pleasant enough, if somewhat awkward. But awkwardness aside, Harper appears ready to decompress in the country. Unfortunately, her sunny arrival is the last pleasant moment she’ll experience on this getaway.
Garland’s latest, the gruesome folk horror curiosity “Men,” is no exception. Once again, the writer-director is deliberately taking us on a dark journey into the unknown, and willfully ignoring our questions. What does it all mean? Does it mean nothing at all? Your mileage here may vary, but Garland dolls out plenty of evocative imagery to plant seeds of knowledge in the darkest parts of our minds. None of this is to say “Men” is some impenetrable oddity. In some ways, this is one of Garland’s most straightforward films; a familiar horror story of a woman away from home, suddenly surrounded by malevolent forces. Garland traffics in horror movie tropes here, right down to a lengthy home invasion-style sequence that’s designed to give you the chills. And yet, nestled amongst all that familiarity is a strangeness; an uncanny world where everything is off-kilter and almost dream-like.
As “Men” begins, Harper Marlowe (Jessie Buckley) arrives at a quaint English country house tucked away in a small, quiet town. She’s there for a getaway — and she’s alone. We learn that she was married, but her husband James (Paapa Essiedu) has recently died. The circumstances of James’ death become more clear as “Men” unfolds, but it’s obvious from the start that Harper doesn’t want to talk about it. Harper is greeted upon her arrival by Geoffrey (Rory Kinnear), the ruddy, befuddled owner of the house. He seems pleasant enough, if somewhat awkward. But awkwardness aside, Harper appears ready to decompress in the country. Unfortunately, her sunny arrival is the last pleasant moment she’ll experience on this getaway.
This movie belongs to Rory Kinnear
But as good as Buckley is here, “Men” truly belongs to Kinnear. Indeed, this is a showcase for him, because Kinnear doesn’t just play Geoffrey, he plays seemingly every male character who inhabits the village. Wherever Harper goes she encounters new men, all of whom are portrayed by Kinnear in various stages of make-up. At one point, Harper even encounters a rude, foul-mouthed child, with Kinnear’s face digitally added to a young actor’s body for maximum disturbing effect. Aside from Geoffrey, who really does come across as harmless, all of these male figures project a menacing air. A priest who first appears to offer Harper comfort quickly reveals himself to be a lecherous monster; a cop who comes to Harper’s aid at first doesn’t believe her claims; a man at a bar eyes her with what could be either lust or disgust, or maybe both. Kinnear manages to make every single one of his characters distinct, with each more unsettling than the last.
Does Harper notice that all of these men look practically the same? Buckley, and filmmaker Garland, don’t let us know. There are moments here and there where Buckley’s Harper will eye one of Kinnear’s characters in a curious way. Is she recognizing the facial similarities? It’s so deliberately underplayed that we can’t say for sure, and that’s part of the film’s ominous power. Like Harper, we’re never entirely sure what is going on here. We just know it’s bad, and potentially deadly.
/Film Rating: 7.5 out of 10
