MEN

The film opens in London with our main character Harper (played wonderfully by Jessie Buckley); however, the next scene and the rest of the film takes place in the English countryside of Cotson, which is about 4 hours from London. Over the course of the film, we discover Harper has left London in order to have time to grieve and heal over the recent passing of her husband, whom she informed she'd be beginning divorce proceedings with. Her tranquil 2-week getaway is immediately interrupted by a series of men, each displaying prominent "toxic" male characteristics: there's a naked homeless man, the victim shamer, the good guy/protector, the cop who doesn't believe her many pleas, as well as her manipulative husband. All of these characters with the exception of the husband are all played by the same actor Rory Kinnear, who does a fantastic job flexing his range. There is a richness of ambiguity and imagery here left for the audience to devour, which is par for the course for writer/director Alex Garland, who also brought us EX-MACHINA and ANNIHILATION previously. And this doesn't even take into account the third act, which will leave the audience scratching their heads when the credits roll. A lot of questions are raised here with Garland I believe, posing them to the audience. This is a film where I don't believe there's a right or wrong answer but rather based upon interpretation. A24 is the only studio I will consistently take a chance on as they continue to challenge and expand cinema with their arthouse, original, and anti-formuliac films. 6/10