TMS Movie Review: Men
(DNA / A24 Films)
Alex Garland’s new film, titled simply Men, is the latest in what I guess we can categorize as ‘#metoo movies.’ Unlike Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel (2021) which commented on sexism and double standards through a historical drama; or Jay Roach’s Bombshell (2019), a satire on the Fox News scandals a few years back; Men starts as a drama about a woman grieving, before turning into a psychological thriller and then ending with full on body-horror. By now, Garland’s screenwriting has trademark themes and tones found in not only other directors’ pictures—such as Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later (2002) or Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go (2010)—but also in Garland’s own directed Ex Machina (2015) and Annihilation (2018). As far as quality goes, Men is a doozy to say the least, even if you’re familiar with his previous work.
Needing some fresh air and peace of mind after witnessing her soon-to-be-ex-husband, James (Paapa Essiedu), commit suicide while they’re in the process of divorcing; Harper (Jessie Buckley) takes a small vacation in the countryside of England. What she isn’t expecting to come with the nice, homey house she’s renting, is an eerie and surreal atmosphere to linger throughout the visit.
(DNA / A24 Films)
Rory Kinnear plays the landlord of the place Harper’s renting, as well as all the other men she meets in the area. Ex Machina was one of my favorite movies of 2015 and a great take on the dystopian theory of artificial intelligence; and I enjoyed Garland’s scripts for 28 Days Later and Pete Travis’ Dredd (2012). With Men, I feel like this is a step back for the writer-director and misses the mark. I don’t like to completely generalize, but from what I’ve seen of movies directed by men with good intentions, attempting to be self-aware on the power imbalance between sexes in society; a lot of the time they still feel surface level and heavy handed. There’s potential with this kind of message through a male creator. But with Men, it seems like this certain male filmmaker isn’t saying much besides, “man bad, world unfair to woman.” It’s been almost five years since #metoo blew up, give us a little more substance beyond that. There’s barely a story here except Harper’s grief and trauma and feeling manipulated by the male species. Garland’s usual directing aesthetic and technique are visually pleasing and there is some legitimate spookiness. But you can get that and better morally executed storytelling with his past efforts.
Buckley and Kinnear are good in their roles, yet that’s mainly because they’re good actors and know how to deliver fine performances. There are arthouse films which work with metaphors more than plot, but the allegories in Men didn’t land for me. And honestly, the whole last act is so bizarrely unsettling, I don’t even want to put it into words. Unless you’re a big fan of Garland, Buckley and/or Kinnear, Men isn’t a must-see particularly soon.