YNOT at the Movies

To classify the writer-director Alex Garland's third feature "Men" (UK 2022 | 100 min.) as a horror film will only be partially correct, because it's much more than that. But people will probably have very different opinions on what the "more" part is, even though they are seeing the same movie. Despite the lead actors giving a master-class performance that you might enjoy, it's a mind-bending nightmare that you want to forget.

Listening to Leslie Duncan's melancholy "Love Song," Harper (Jessie Buckley) drives to a scenic countryside and arrives at a well-kept stone house with typical British evergreen landscaping, with an apple tree in the front yard. She is greeted by the friendly property owner Geoffrey (Rory Kinnear). He gives her a tour of the house and helps her settle in. However, Geoffrey gives us an uneasy impression as if he is hiding something.

We soon learn that the reason for Harper to come here is to recover from the trauma caused by the failed marriage with her late husband James (Paapa Essiedu). She wants a fresh start.

The lush greenery in the nearby forest and the idyllic surrounding give Harper a breath of fresh air and a moment of joy. She finds joy when she listens to the echo of her voice in a tunnel. But that doesn't last long. Strange men start to appear around the house, and Harper's traumatic experience back in London begins to flash back. As she tries to escape from unwanted encounters around town, her grief and anxiety accelerate.

The pleasant retreat soon turns into an unimaginable nightmare with a shocking climax.

The director Alex Garland fantastically sets an eerie environment at the beginning of the film, and orchestrates a few scenes to showcase Jessie Buckley's extraordinary performance. She impressively pours out Harper's overburdened emotions in full force.

But when various men appear, all terrifically played by Rory Kinnear disguised in different hair, teeth, and other makeup, Harper loses her spotlight in the film and gives in to the horror caused by these bizarre men. While the choral music never fails to build up the tension, the visual evolves from strange to creepy, then to horrifying, and then to plain gross and disturbing. The film turns the horror show into an agitating nightmare that you can't wait to wake up from.

Are all of these in Harper's head? Or are men truly disturbing creatures? You can draw your own conclusion.

"Men" opens on Friday, May 20, 2022.