Men – Review

After a devastating event, Harper (Buckley) escapes London to find a pastoral and secluded manor in remote Herefordshire. The home’s owner is Geoffrey (Kinnear) who greets her on arrival and welcomes her to the well-maintained estate. Harper quickly sinks into the idyllic landscape, going for walks and enjoying nature.

Things take a creepy and unnerving turn however, as she finds herself being stalked by various strange men in the quiet forest, forcing her to retreat back to her home. She turns towards the local village, meeting more men, both at a local bar and a church. As men and more men surround Harper, she reels in confusion as the world turns ambiguous and grows more and more dangerous.

This is a more “artistic” horror flick, as it mixes many dreamlike and abstract elements into a creepy and fantasy inspired tale. Nothing is handed to the viewer, and the ending may not be conclusive enough, however there is a lot to take away for those paying attention despite a complex and unreal narrative.

The tiny cast is not limited in their acting ranges, and all provide strong emotional responses to the events in the film. Rory Kinnear gets to do multiple roles in this film, representing the “Man” element of the movie. The script does shift further and further into an almost fantasy world, finding new ways to surface creepy feelings and odd scenarios.

This film will have a different effect on the viewer depending on a lot of individual qualities, but I can’t help but feel that everyone will take away a bit of the vibe of being a woman in a man’s world, and it is chilling.