Men

While Men is flawed and ultimately a little unsatisfying, there’s no denying that it is a singular, bold and stimulating film that challenges you in every way – that’s what Alex Garland does best.

Garland is an assured storyteller... That track record makes it possible to believe for much of Men that he knows what he’s doing -- even if thematically the film feels like an over-familiar mash-up of a couple of current trends.

The good news is that this film, written and directed by English novelist and filmmaker Alex Garland, is something utterly weird and completely different.

Spare yourself the trouble and tell the film-makers you’re busy.

There’s some resemblance to Get Out in that there’s a social message wrapped in the narrative. I don’t think this movie (achieves) that quite as well as that movie, but it’s unsettling and well-acted.

A playfully twisted affair – not quite as profound as it seems to think, perhaps, but boasting enough squishy metaphorical slime to ensure that its musings upon textbook male characteristics are rarely dull, and sometimes deliciously disgusting.

It’s a bleak and unforgiving vision but no one would argue that this is a nuanced account of gender differences. It’s a horror film, and its real pleasures lie in its old-fashioned shock tactics.

...the performances from Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear are incredible. If this was meant to be an experimental acting showcase for the two, this was a job well done.

Men is unlikely to find any kind of broad audience, but for those who do see it there is a chance the film will never quite leave them.

It is another example of expressionist horror, which depicts real life fears such as racism in “Master” (2022) and aging in “Relic” (2020) as if they are supernatural so viewers can become submerged in the protagonist’s subjective horror