Men (2022) Been some time since I came across what I'd consider an honest-to-God, genuine "What the ****!!" movie........
You know the kind I mean. A film that makes everyone who lays eyes on it post reviews that start out with....."What the **** did I just watch??"\
The kind of movie that generates heated discussions about what it all meant.
I couldn't look to the writer-director Alex Garland for any help in that regard. During the "Making of""" documentary that's on the DVD, he states he has his own idea as to what the film was saying. But he wouldn't speak it out loud because his interpretation might be 360 degrees off of what you or I got out of the film.
"Men kicks off like it's some kind of moody, reflective psychological thriller.
A young woman (the always terrific Jessie Buckley) hopes to recover from the trauma of witnessing the grisly suicide of her mentally ill husband whom she'd just threatened to divorce.
In the greenery of the remote English countryside, she leases a huge mansion to spend some quiet time for emotional recovery. But starting with the home's overly jolly and mildly creepy owner (Rory Kinnear), she suffers a series of weird disturbing encounters with whatever men she comes across out there in the middle of nowhere.
In the first of the two startling, what-the-**** concepts the film offers, Rory Kinnear does bravura work playing all of these men (with the help of makeup and CGI.) If you've only seen this actor playing Bill Tanner, the MI6 official in the Bond films, his work here truly astounds.....)
These various 'Kinnear-ians' include a scary nude stalker a condescending, Vicar, an obnoxious, bratty child, and all the lugs and thugs chug-a-lugging their pints at the local pub. In one way or another, they seem function (and I'm guessing here) as eternal symbols of men's mistreatment of women.
And then, for 'Men's second, jaw-dropping, final wowzer, Alex Garland unleashes a spectacular display of special effects body horror that makes those similar nauseating moments in David Cronenberg's movies look like 'Sesame Street' episodes.
Let's simply describe it as things you'll never unsee.......
So what's it all mean?
A deep meditation on the universal struggle of men and women? A bold sexual statement? A bold political statement? All of the above? None of the above?
My response? The same as the guy who wrote and directed this.
Don't ask me. You decide. You figure it out.
Here's what I can say. Jessie Buckley's never anything less than a wonder to watch, so for BQ, any film gifted with her in it qualifies as a 'can't miss'. And I wouldn't dream of missing out on the amusing but unsettling spectacle of the multiple Rory Kinnears.
The film itself? Well, if you've sampled some of the other so called 'elevated' horrors, the arthouse, film festival scare-a-thons like "The Witch", "Hereditary" and "Midsommar", then bump this one to the top of your 'must see' list.
No, I don't know what the **** I just watched either, but I'm pretty sure I watched a 3 star (***) can't-take-your-eyes-off-it grabber........but don't say I didn't warn you about the finale.......
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