Highlights
- Alex Garland’s film “Men” is a divisive horror thriller with a shocking ending, pushing the boundaries both narratively and visually.
- The film explores the theme of toxic masculinity and sexism, using body horror and explicit symbolism to convey its message.
- “Men” is a thought-provoking and intense experience that leaves many questions unanswered, prompting viewers to engage in discussions about its deeper meaning.
Alex Garland is known for his complex science-fiction and psychological thrillers. While some of his films, such as Ex Machina and Annihilation received a mostly positive reaction, his 2022 horror thriller Men was pretty divisive to say the least. This was mainly due to its shocking ending. While Garland is no stranger to getting a reaction out of the audience, Men takes it one step further than any of his previous work during its third act, both narratively and visually. The film gives viewers an experience to remember, and its sinister and symbolic ending leaves many questions unanswered and open to interpretation.
Following the success of Ex Machina, his directorial debut, which had been distributed by A24, Garland paired up with the company once again for his third film. This time, he opted to tell a story about toxic masculinity and sexism, and how these belief systems are passed down through the generations. He does this through body horror, and by taking the liberty to be as explicit, gory, symbolic, and haunting as the story demands. The British writer and director understands that Men is not for everybody, but those who are fans of the genre are set for a shocking twist packed with a whole lot of meaning.
RELATED: Andrew Garfield Stars in this Underrated Sci-fi Drama
What Is Men About?
|
Men |
|
|---|---|
|
Director |
Alex Garland |
|
Writer |
Alex Garland |
|
Cast |
Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear |
|
Genre |
Horror, Thriller |
|
Distributed by |
A24 |
|
Release date |
May 20, 2022 |
|
Runtime |
100 minutes |
|
Box office |
$11.2 million |
Men tells the story of Harper Marlowe (Jessie Buckley), a woman who travels to the British countryside after the death of her husband, James, whom she doesn’t exactly hold fond memories of. It is revealed during flashbacks that Harper intended to divorce James because he was emotionally abusive and manipulative, even to the point where he threatened to take his own life if she left him. After a fight, Harper witnesses James falling from an upstairs balcony to his death, seemingly by suicide. She, however, cannot escape her haunting memories or guilt. What was meant to be a healing and peaceful getaway becomes a nightmare for Harper, as she begins to experience encounters with men that progressively get stranger, sinister, and terrifying.
During the first act of the film, Harper takes a walk in the woods and finds a tunnel. She starts walking towards the light at the end, but is unable to due to a man blocking the exit. As the man chases her, she realizes she can’t escape through the tunnel and needs to find a new path, choosing instead to climb a wall to get away from him. This is likely a metaphor about Harper being unable to move on from her husband’s death and needing to find a new way to cope. She notices a naked man creepily staring at her from afar, and she later encounters him outside her house. After he attempts to get into the house, Harper calls the police and the man is arrested.
Something worth noting is that, in a concept similar to movies such as Anomalisa, every male character in Men, except for Harper’s husband, is played by Rory Kinnear. From a child, to a priest, to a police officer, all these men represent the same toxic masculinity ideals and have carried them since birth. To Harper, they are all equally dangerous. Even Geoffrey, the owner of the house Harper is renting, who initially seems eccentric but well-intentioned, is later revealed to be just as aggressive and dangerous as every other man. Garland explains this during an interview with the Los Angeles Times:
Does Harper see all men as the same even though they’re not? Or does she not realize that, in fact, they are all the same? Those are wildly differently interpretations, and the question is in no way answered by the film. You could watch this movie and say it’s just a ghost story: This young woman is bereaved and goes to the countryside and gets essentially haunted by either the memory or the manifestation of her dead husband’s sadness and anger. It should just be able to function like that if that’s what people wanted.
Beyond being a horror film, Men is a great female-led movie about toxic masculinity. The events that happen in the movie are not meant to be taken literally, but rather as a series of metaphors and symbolism, some a lot less subtle than others, constantly blurring the line between reality and fantasy.
How Does Men End?
In the third act of the film, all the men Harper had encountered begin terrorizing her outside of the house, with the intent to attack her. As she attempts to run away, she accidentally runs over Geoffrey, who aggressively forces her out of the car and begins chasing her. She attempts to make her way back to the house, and the film turns into a strange and shocking nightmare of body horror. During the climax, a birth chain unfolds, and all the men, starting from the naked man, give birth to another, as Harper witnesses the shocking scene in silence. The naked man gives birth to the young boy, who then gives birth to the priest, then Geoffrey, and lastly James. Harper, no longer afraid, and James briefly talk, and he claims that all he ever wanted was love. In a dark and somber, but somewhat satisfying ending, the following morning, Harper’s pregnant friend arrives at the house and discovers the chaos. She then finds Harper, who, without saying a word, smiles at her.
James, although he is the only man with a different appearance, is connected to all the other men, as is revealed during his birth. The way James treats Harper during the final scene further confirms his behavior has always been infantile and manipulative, as he is the same as seen in the flashbacks but this time he has just been born. It can be argued that Men, while being a female-led story, does place its focus on the actions and sins of the men. Most of what the audience learns about Harper is related to her abusive marriage and feeling frightened by the men. Although she is seen defending herself and fighting against them, the story quickly shifts into its birth-chain climactic scene, giving little explanation about Harper’s personality and development.
While the movie itself is packed with symbolism and metaphors, the final scene confirms that the events from the third act actually happened. Since her friend encounters the aftermath, it is made explicitly clear that Harper’s body horror nightmare wasn’t just taking place in her head. Garland refuses to tell people how to interpret Men, but hopes that whatever his message may be sparks a debate about the main ongoing issue. Garland told the LA Times:
As much as possible, I’m not going to get involved in polarized hysteria,” he said. “That polarized hysteria can make everyone else shut up because they’re too afraid, and I don’t want to be part of that. There’s a requirement for all of us to be thoughtful and show care when stepping into subject matters with these kinds of sensitivities. But that shouldn’t prevent one from making a strong statement.
In the end, Men makes a bold statement about toxic masculinity and it certainly fulfilled Garland’s goal of leaving the audience thinking and sparking debates.
Leave a Reply