MEN

Writer-director Alex Garland has a lot to say with his latest film, MEN. On the surface, it is a creepy tale of a woman reeling from tragedy and facing a menacing town of strangers. Harper (Jessie Buckley) has just lost her fiance after a nasty fight and subsequent tragedy. As a result, she has left her London flat for some time alone in the country. Upon arrival to the quaint bucolic village, the men in the town begin to encroach. Yet what Garland seems to be going for is an examination of patriarchal dominance and subjugation of the opposite sex by way of horror. To be clear, the genre welcomes such exploration since its creation. Yet, Garland wobbles a bit here with inconsistent rules and a handful of interesting choices that are endlessly compelling while not always landing the ideas. The result is an admirably ambitious, if perplexing, tour of the female perspective… written by a man.

Never one to shy from dense concepts much less storytelling, we open as Harper and her ex James (Paapa Essiedu) are having the endgame talk on their marriage. It’s some brutal stuff and wonderfully written and performed, but possibly triggering. A flip in the dialogue points the blame to Harper, the female. The misogynistic tactic cuts away to Harper’s attempt to heal from what ultimately transpired.

Arriving at her new rental she meets the landlord Geoffry (Rory Kinnear) who shows her about the house. He’s an affable gent who gives her the tour of the two-story home she has rented for a getaway. At first, the grounds are a welcome escape. It is only after Harper decides to go for a walk that things get weird. Then weirder. Wandering through the woods, Harper attracts the attention of a male transient that follows her back to her rental. Harper gives a facetime tour of the home for her bestie Riley (Gayle Rankin) only to find the transient again wandering nearby. A call to the police handles the matter and while female officer Frieda (Sarah Twomey) is sympathetic and engaging, the other men on the patrol are dismissive. On another walk, Harper comes in contact with a nearby Vicar and a troubled young man named Samuel. Both are less than kind to Harper’s immediate need to process and heal. Still, as the film goes on, we learn more about the fight between Harper and her ex, which led to her need to escape.

Now that we have all of the pieces in place, Garland decides to take us to crazy town. Harper is a lone woman against a town of men who are not only dismissive of her trials but aggressive. The third act of the film dives into some nightmarish realms that had this hardened horror hound wincing in delight. Garland gleefully sends the final act of the movie into a tailspin of carnage and brutality, but to what end? I have to give praise to all that contributed to the seamless marriage of practical and CGI effects, but what in the hell was that all supposed to mean? There is absolutely no question that skill and craftsmanship glow from every frame of this movie but WTF?

Praise where deserved; Kinnear is phenomenal in portraying the multiple facets of male-driven persecution in a small English village. Yes, Kinnear either portrays or allows his face to be used for every threat that is in the village and it mostly works to convey the redundant threat felt by women. Buckley is absolutely amazing as Harper. This is a character that covers some intense areas along with exploring deep material. Essiedu‘s James is another nice bit of work as well. Ultimately though, this comes down to what Garland wanted to say and how well he might have said it. I can tell you what I think, and that is that he punted. Garland opened the door to a larger discussion for all to explore and we are the ones responsible for a resolution.

Alex Garland has delivered nothing if not dense cinematic journeys that provoke deeper questions. With his latest, MEN, it is the male of the species that is made out as the enemy in hopes of mining truth. Even if you don’t really connect with what Garland is getting at, this is still a rollicking jaunt with cringe-filled moments of gore and fun.