Men

Men
Directed by Alex Garland
United Kingdom 2022

PLOT

Harper is a woman who decides to isolate herself in a remote house in the small village of Cotson to overcome the trauma of her husband’s death, from whom she was about to separate. Hoping to find something to help her cope with this difficult time, she soon realizes that something is wrong in that place. Additionally, her guilt and anxieties become strong allies of the strange presences that haunt the place and loom over her.

CONSIDERATIONS

The third feature film from the talented Garland (*Ex Machina* and *Annihilation*), *Men* is a long introspective journey that turns into a personal and existential drama, enhanced by powerful horror visions. The director chooses to unravel the story of our protagonist through brief flashbacks strategically placed intermittently throughout the film, which help to explain why and what led the protagonist to isolation. The pace, especially in the beginning, is contemplative, and Garland takes his time to build his characters and, especially, the landscapes, which fully justifies the labeling of his style within the umbrella of “elevated horror.”
Harper must engage in a tough struggle, at times seemingly uneven, where the monsters are her guilt over her husband’s death (tragedy or suicide?), the lingering effects of a difficult marriage with a chauvinistic man, the dark figures that haunt that place, and the faces of the people she comes into contact with.
What might seem like a hymn to patriarchy is whispered to us through continuous references to fertility for “male merits,” as evidenced by the images dedicated to Sheela Na Gig, the body horror explosion in the finale, and Harper’s friend’s revelation when she appears at the end.

Men is an allegorical film that elegantly roots itself in folk traditions through cultural and traditional references.
Garland converges these symbols into a single body and brings them to life in a raw scene that will inevitably leave the viewer uneasy and puzzled.
The figures are often hidden within churches in semi-concealed positions, and the director shows them through numerous detailed shots.
This interest in the ecclesiastical world is also translated into the most developed male character, the vicar.
Complex and sensitive themes are presented—difficult to digest but full of details to notice—that spread horror in every corner, brain, person, and forest… everywhere.

Aside from these significant details that elevate the film, other strengths of the film are undoubtedly the great performances by the two protagonists: Jessie Buckley (Harper) and Rory Kinnear, and the stunning cinematography by Rob Hardy.
Remarkable images and colors create a tense, dreamlike, and distressing film that reaches its peak in the body horror explosion of the delirious and visionary finale, where everything takes on an extreme aura.

PANDEMONIC MOMENT

Harper goes for a walk in the woods and stumbles upon an old, disused railway tunnel where she begins to play with the echo of her voice. A figure appears at the far end of the tunnel and starts walking towards her. She flees into an open field, snapping a photo of an abandoned building with her phone, inadvertently capturing a naked man staring at her.

Click here to watch our HDE Trailer of Men