Men Explores Misogyny In A Twisted Way That Will Make Your Skin Crawl
Men is not for the faint of heart.
It will leave you with stifled laughter, horrified, disgusted and very confused.
The psychological thriller by Alex Garland tells the story of Harper (Jesse Buckley) who travels four hours outside her home in London to a beautiful cottage in a tranquil village.
Harper stays at the cottage to heal from the pain she is feeling and the unconscious guilt she has after a personal tragedy occurs in her life, which the audience witnesses at the beginning of the film.
Once Harper arrives at the manor, she is shown around by its caretaker, Geoffrey (Rory Kinnear), who seems nice but at the same time is strange and off-putting.
It doesn’t take long for Harper to realize she is in a miserable and traumatic place where she is surrounded by men, except a policewoman the audience sees only a few times in the film.
Even more frightening is that all the men are the same man, with different roles and occupations.
There is the caretaker of the house, the bartender, the misogynistic kid, the vicar, the patrons at the pub and the naked stalker.
The films’ methodical pacing, eerie vibe, beautiful cinematography, visual effects and editing bring the movie together.
However, nothing is more important in Men than the horrifying and captivating sound design. It is what, above all, makes your skin crawl.
The music, composed by Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury, is creepy and a big part of the film because Harper sings on various occasions. When she does, her voice echoes through a tunnel.
As the film progresses, there is a point where it crosses the line from reality into sometime otherworldly.
For a while, it seems like Harper is perhaps just paranoid because of her trauma and especially because all the men look the same, however, the film eventually takes a turn into full-blown hallucinations and horrifying imagery.
Men is one of those movies that when you finish watching it, you need to talk to someone to understand what you just saw.
The film is important for everyone to watch because it depicts the misogynistic nightmares that women have had to undergo for years.
Men will not leave a woman alone, whether she is eating an apple, going for a walk, bathing, singing or trying to leave a marriage.
Men was released on May 20 and is currently playing in theaters.
