The recent Oscar nominee is, as ever, fearless, throwing herself into Harper’s life and the surreal world in which she finds herself without affectation or vanity. For all its considerable beauty (and it is beautiful, thanks to Garland’s sharp eye and the talents of cinematographer Rob Hardy and production designer Mark Digby), when "Men" works it’s thanks to the immediacy of Buckley’s performance. And while the material Kinnear is saddled with has all the delicacy of a rubber mallet, his performance is still an impressive display of prowess one the actor clearly relishes giving. (At one point, James tells Harper to stop pleading because he is the one pleading, as though he’s called dibs on all the misery and she’s trying to rob him of what’s rightfully his.) Supporting player Gayle Rankin spends nearly all of the film’s runtime stuck on Facetime but nevertheless brings some welcome humor and humanity to the proceedings as Riley, Harper’s best friend. Essiedu brings both nuance and intensity to his scenes, painting a vivid picture of a relationship marred by emotional abuse and manipulation. That’s not to say that "Men" is totally devoid of subtlety. RELATED: ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ review: Mamma Mia, here we go again See "Men" for: Jessie Buckley, noted non-man Congratulations, you’re well on your way to writing the screenplay for "Men."Īt each turn, Garland approaches the failings of a patriarchal society and the dangers of toxic masculinity with all the subtlety of a dude expecting thank yous for wearing a T-shirt that says "FEMINIST" - a reality made all the more frustrating by the fact that both "Annihilation" and "Ex Machina" are great movies that are also undeniably feminist and infinitely more thoughtful and complex than this latest effort. Make sure to dismiss all the complexities of gender identity. Imagine the most obviously damaging response a man could have to that situation. Yes, all men, all of whom (with the exception of Essiedu’s James) are played by the game Kinnear. With each of Harper’s recollections of the nightmarish circumstances of her husband’s death, the present dangers she faces seem to grow and multiply.Īnd the dangers are, in this case, men. The more she seeks peace, the more elusive it becomes. RELATED: May movie preview: Doctor Strange, Top Gun, Downton Abbey and a brand new Chip 'n Daleįor Harper, the past (witnessed in flashbacks made immediate and terrifying thanks to the excellent performances of Buckley and "I May Destroy You" standout Paapa Essiedu) and the present are inextricable. "Men" becomes somehow more muddled and more heavy-handed all at once, losing its anchor as it lays the themes on thick. That’s the high point of Harper’s country sojourn, and while I’d love to tell you that things get more subtle as they grow more terrifying, that would be a lie. But don’t worry if you somehow miss the symbolism - the property’s obsequious yet condescending owner (one of many roles played by Rory Kinnear) will soon scold her for eating "forbidden fruit." Passing an apple tree, she takes a bite, relishing the experience. Still reeling from the death of her husband James (a reality that’s both less weepy and more upsetting than you might imagine), she arrives at a stately home she’s rented in the English countryside and is captivated by its beauty and tranquility.
Those creeping images trigger an instinctive reaction, a fierce tug on your fight-or-flight response.īuckley’s Harper needs a place to breathe.
#WATCH FULL MOVIE I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE 3 SKIN#
A woman ( Jessie Buckley) shouts into a tunnel, pulls an apple from a tree, and sees a boy in a mask - stuff that shouldn’t make the skin crawl, but crawl it does. The trailer for "Men," his latest (and the latest piece of "elevated horror" to emerge from arthouse darling A24), promises more of the same. You may not be able to parse his stories piece by piece with the cerebrum, but if you hand control over to your gut, everything falls into place.
#WATCH FULL MOVIE I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE 3 HOW TO#
The writer/director of "Annihilation" and "Ex Machina" - two of the best genre films of the last 10 years - knows how to tell a story, but more importantly, he understands the value of digging up and pointing to the things that cannot be named. Credit: A24.įew artists working today have a better understanding of how to trawl the subconscious than Alex Garland. The trailer for Alex Garland's "Men," starring Jessie Buckley.
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