On May 20th, 2022, Men was recently released in the theatres. Directed by Alex Garland, the writer of 28 days later and Never Let Me Go and who has also directed movies such as Ex Machina and Annihilation. The movie is a folk horror that enters through a surrealist perspective, symbolism, and pagan beliefs.
The narrative moves in the direction of transcendence. It is a highly complex movie, and the further one delves into the imagery and the symbols, the more rewarding the perspective would build on the reality that it is trying to show, or rather should we ask, create?
Cast And Reviews
Famous Irish actor Jessie Buckley, who began her career on the BBC talent show “I’d Do Anything,” in which she was placed second, has acted in the role of Harper Marlowe, the lead character in the movie. Rory Kinnear is majorly played the role of the antagonists in the movie. PaapaEssiedu has acted the role of Harper’s husband, James Marlowe. Lastly, Gayle Rankin, like Riley, has acted as a friend of Harper, who keeps her sane.
Men Movie Plot
In an attempt to not be a spoiler, the movie’s synopsis reveals that Harper, the lead character, after going through a tragedy, wishes to go to the English countryside and seek peace. Far from it, she gets chased by a naked man in the woods, which eventually becomes a recurring nightmare for her, dreams (or reality?) that are also tinged with her dark and sad memories.
All the men in the countryside appear to look the same. This creepiness is led further by the recurring pattern of obstacles Harper faces. Except for her dead husband, who makes a comeback at the end of the story, all are performed by Rory Kinnear.
Ending Explained
The ending scene, in particular, has a weirdness attached to it; the movie not only uses surrealism, but it also speaks about how surrealist art comes into the picture. The overlapping images giving birth to each other, creating the web of layered meanings attached to images, are a powerful symbol that attempts to circumscribe a much larger human reality stretching before the Christian period beyond the wildlands of pagans.
The green man is a pagan symbol of rebirth that had been adopted by Christianity and displayed in its churches over the centuries. There is no short answer to what the ending is. James’ exasperation at the end that he wants Harper’s love shows the limitations to which love has been confined in today’s life.
It is meeting a similar fate to the idea of women, which had been subjugated and always put secondary to men for ages. The movie even hints toward the evil instincts deeply rooted in men and social consciousness.
There are so many question marks in the article, and the reason for it is that this movie doesn’t give answers but only questions. And who knows where will they lead us?
