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, Alex Garland’s Men is a post-#MeToo feature that starts as a drama about a woman grieving, before turning into a psychological thriller and then ending with full-on horror in the climax.
By now, Garland’s screenwriting not only has trademark themes and tones found in 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 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 the eerie and surreal atmosphere to linger throughout the visit.
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). But I feel Men 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 about the power imbalance between sexes in society still feels heavy handed.
There’s potential with this kind of message through a male creator. But with Men, this filmmaker isn’t saying much besides “man bad — world unfair to woman.” It’s been almost five years since #MeToo blew up, so 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 work 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.