"Men" review — Alex Garland's new film bogged down by messy themes and weak narrative

“Why are you doing this?” 

Men aren’t doing too well anymore. After centuries in power, the traditional models of masculinity seem to be on their way out, although certainly not without a fight. As an increasing amount of cases of abusive men in positions of power make the rounds on the nightly news and culture continues to push away from these toxic forms of masculinity, films begin to reflect these changing attitudes. It is telling of the time in which we live that simply titling a horror film “Men” evokes immediate feelings about its narrative and thematic content. Of course, the men we encounter in Men are hardly nice people. In fact, most of them entertain themselves by, at best, calling protagonist Harper (Jessie Buckley) a “stupid b—ch” or by, at worst, following her home and trying to kill her, preferably in the nude.

Turning from his usual flair for sci-fi, writer/director Alex Garland — best known for his films Ex Machina (2015) and Annihilation (2018) — expands upon his love of weirdness in Men with a sharp turn into folk horror. Garland manages to craft a wonderfully disturbing film with an atmosphere amongst the most distressing in recent years. However, despite the intriguing first half and some wonderfully evocative visuals, the film collapses with hollow themes, a faltering internal logic, and a third act that is disturbing in all the wrong ways.

The film begins with Harper (played by the phenomenal Jessie Buckley) haunted by the suicide of her late husband (Paapa Essiedu), arriving at a rental house in the village of Coston. She’s greeted by Geoffrey (Rory Kinnear), a strange, particular man who seems friendly enough. She takes a walk into the wood nearby, where she encounters a strange man who follows her home (Rory Kinnear). After her encounter in the woods, she meets a foul-mouthed young boy (Rory Kinnear), a creepy priest (also Rory Kinnear), a thoughtless cop (again, Rory Kinnear), and a town’s worth of other unsavoury male figures (all played by Rory Kinnear). Things begin to become increasingly sour for Harper as the town reveals itself to be far darker and more menacing than she ever could have dreamed — all of which is centred around the visage of a fern-faced creature carved into the altar of the village church.

Jessie Buckley in Men. Photo: A24.

There’s a lot to like about Garland’s third feature film. The film’s first act is quiet and fairly subdued while being some of the most unnerving filmmaking in recent memory. There are some interesting visual ideas and compelling musical compositions by composers Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow. Jessie Buckley’s performance is a large factor in where the film does succeed. Rory Kinnear is a fantastic second fiddle to Buckley with each of his assorted roles feeling so delightfully disgusting in their own special ways. But this is where I find Men’s strengths end. While the first half is unsettling, it doesn’t build well into an interesting plot, the internal logic is profoundly flawed, and the subtext Garland is desperate for feels unfocused.

Perhaps most strongly felt in Annihilation, Garland’s work comes ready to explore intense psychological themes and offers itself to a myriad of interpretations. Men is no exception. Filled with evocative imagery and a disturbing, body-horror-infused finale that is sure to cause a stir, Men gives its audience much to ponder. However, Men’s deeper themes often feel surface level and offer a shallow understanding of the topics it wants to cover — namely, toxic masculinity and the cycles of violence it perpetuates. The film is thematically unfocused, lacking a clear message beyond a nihilistic sentiment of “men bad” while forgetting to develop the female protagonist beyond a vehicle for trauma.

Narratively, Men is far too empty. The plot is thin and lacks a compelling enough internal tension to keep it moving. The internal mythology surrounding the nature of the torment Harper receives from the many bodies bearing the same face leaves too much up to interpretation. With no clear understanding of the literal events, the subtextual meaning is shrouded in needless ambiguity, a problem Annihilation avoids with a clear but mysterious antagonizing force.

In short, Men is far from Garland’s best, which is unfortunate knowing the heights to which he is able to climb in his craft. Running at a sparse 100 minutes, Men feels far too underdeveloped. Trying to stretch a rather meagre amount of content into a feature-length film leaves Men grossly underwritten. The shocking, beyond horrific third act (that I will not spoil here) further leaves a gross taste in the mouth. The film is unnecessarily upsetting with too little to say to make it worthwhile. No matter how noble his intentions, Garland’s film about female trauma and the complexities of the patriarchy misses the mark.

Score: 2

Men is now playing in theatres.

Men information
Written and directed by Alex Garland
Starring Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear, Paapa Essiedu, Gayle Rankin
Released 20 May 2022
100 minutes