Written and directed by Alex Garland 
Starring Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear, Paapa Essiedu
MPAA Rating:  Rated R for disturbing and violent content, graphic nudity, grisly images and language.
Runtime: 100 minutes
In theaters May 20th

by Victoria Potenza, Staff Writer

Content Warnings: suicide, violence against women, emotional abuse

Men is a gorgeous, grotesque enigma which will more than likely piss a lot of people off. Alex Garland is truly one of the best directors out there. Ex Machina blew me away when I saw it in theaters and his follow-up work like Annihilation and the TV show DEVs did not disappoint. So when I heard one of my favorite sci-fi directors was directing a folk horror film with the title Men, I knew there was no way I would not love the film. This is a movie with plenty of depth, folklore, emotion, and mystery. Men has a lot on its mind and will more than likely not reveal its answers to you in a single viewing. And that is exactly what is so spectacular about it. 

Men follows Harper (Jessie Buckley) who decides to take an extended vacation to process the emotions around her husband’s suicide. She arrives at a quaint and picturesque English village where she believes she will get the rest and relaxation she needs. However, a sinister presence begins to follow her wherever she goes. A man in the woods begins to follow her and the other men in the town (all played by Rory Kinnear) seem uninterested in taking her worries seriously. These happenings shake Harper to her core and make her confront the pain and trauma around her husband’s suicide in ways she never expected.

There are so many themes and ideas the movie is delving into, I think audience members will all take something different away with them. For me, this hit me on a very emotional level. Through Kinnear’s performances as multiple men, you can see the manifestation of a variety of toxic masculine tropes. The religious zealot, the problematic child, the disinterested police officer, the quite yet terrifying staring from afar. In a typical day living as a woman it is easy to have to deal with several of these “types” in a day and also the institutions that protect them; be it religion, law, education, etc. There is also the amount of toxic masculinity we allow into our lives out of politeness or the fact that it does not seem to be that harmful, even though it all stems from the same place. Seeing all these types enacted on screen and the amount of control and gaslighting Harper deals with throughout the film is at times hard to watch. While much of Men is strange and fantastical it is still very much steeped in the realities of living in a patriarchal society. 

Garland is one male filmmaker that does an expert job at crafting interesting and multidimensional female characters. All of his major projects are filled with these leads and Harper is a perfect addition to it. Even through her grief and pain she is powerful and actively fights for her autonomy in a world that desperately wants her to shrink in on herself. Buckley truly brings this character to life. On the other end of the spectrum, you have Rory Kinnear who I always enjoy as a character actor. He does an impeccable job bringing nuances to the many toxic and problematic men he depicts throughout the film. 

While I loved this character and much of the emotional elements of the film on first viewing, I am very excited for future watches of Men. Much of Garland’s work demands several viewings and that is what makes them so interesting to me, they can feel like completely different experiences and you pick up something new every time. While this might frustrate certain viewers, I find it to be a mesmerizing kaleidoscope that is different every time I look into it. There is plenty of religious allegory throughout the film, specifically its allusions to the Garden of Eden. In addition, the ever-present imagery of “Green Man '' whose representation of rebirth and resurrection is every present throughout the film, as well as several other stories brought up throughout that I would like to research further.

Garland also illustrates the struggles of the film with his use of color. Harper’s flashbacks are all steeped in a reddish tint that evokes the rage and pain that these events bring up for her. So she escapes to the countryside to embrace nature and the greenery around her. There is so much beauty to behold but the sinister red seems to creep in wherever it can. From the lush red apples that scatter her garden, to the jarringly red paint that covers much of the cottage she is staying in. This color palette evokes the creeping terror of her past trauma coming to distrupt her present.

Men is a slow burn. It takes its time allowing the sinister horror of the film creep in on its viewers. I find that Garland is an expert at dropping you into the world he has created, so regardless of the slower pacing I find myself entranced the moment it began. The shots are all gorgeous and the incredible performances from Buckley and Kinnear are immediately entertaining. While I will not give away too many details, the climax of the film is out of this world. Garland saves much of his horrifying imagery for the last third of the film making me cheer for its grotesquely beautiful weirdness. I am glad that Garland took risks and created something that will generate fruitful conversation. I hope to revisit more of my thoughts on this film after a few more watches. 

Whether you love Men or you hate it, it's one of the most interesting releases this year, and is bound to become a favorite amongst horror fans.