Men

I tried and I tried, I guess I missed the point in the end, but that doesn't mean I'm not satisfied. On the contrary, Men is one of those films that doesn't tell you everything, but doesn't annoy you with it and lets you think for yourself. Wonderfully immersive atmosphere, an excellent Jessie Buckley and a superb Rory Kinnear (I don't know him much, so I admit I had no idea how many roles he actually played until the end). I will gladly watch it again some day. (01/15/2023)

A wonderfully atmospheric allegory on the theme (most likely) of dealing with PTSD and trying to step out of your own shadow. Indeed, it's very suspenseful and audiovisually captivating almost the entire time, it's just that the denouement is somewhat... well, beefy. Don't look for any great complexities, just enjoy the atmosphere and then you might actually quite like it. [60%] (08/05/2022)

The first half is a brilliant set-up for psychological horror and works visually, musically and in the overall building of tension. In the second half, it all blurs into long monologues, metaphorical scenes and agonizingly long shots where you slowly pray for the end to come – knowing that there will be no answers. (12/30/2022)

The first half had me excited as perhaps no other recent film has. The mysterious atmosphere, supported by the perfectly chosen music and the sound and image tricks completely fascinated me and I was looking forward to what Garland would surprise me with next. Unfortunately, from the scene in the church it's just a solo for the main character and one actor in wig changes, and it becomes a very weird thing that goes nowhere. It's just Harper watching various body-horror scenes, and occasionally the parson, who I think us the weakest component of the film, utters some pearl of wisdom, and you get a sense of bewilderment and would-be art that wants so much to tempt your own interpretation, but without anything to grasp on. Alex, you’ve tried to get me drunk with a bun, but I prefer a proper black Guinness. Probably the weakest of the three films Garland has directed so far. (10/07/2022)

I went for the horror film of the year, came away rather disappointed with a nicely made oddity. I can't come up with any meaningful or thought-provoking interpretation, and the ones I can think of feel banal. And without any supporting ideas, Men is left with a few creepy scenes and one delicious body horror sequence, though in terms of scares, however, the film is not intense enough for this alone to satisfy me. Judging by the final half hour, when the narrative, still relatively anchored in reality, falls apart, Men obviously wants to be first and foremost a parable, not narrative horror that will thrill and frighten the viewer. And, at least after the first screening, I simply can’t figure out what it wants to say (or rather, I want to believe that it wants to say more than what I actually see in it), and at the same time it didn’t engage me enough to enjoy thinking about it. Definitely the weakest Garland so far, I’m even thinking of knocking it down to two stars. (06/27/2022)