MEN: They're all the same. In this case, literally.

[CW/TW: SI, domestic violence, ab*s*, extreme gore, and SA] 

As I mentioned in my piece on The Inside Outtakes, I’ve become synonymous with two things: A24 and Bo Burnham. With Men being an A24 joint, I’ve obviously gotten some questions about my thoughts, but I hadn’t had the chance to catch it yet. Well, now, I have, and…I have some thoughts. 

If you aren’t familiar, Men is Alex Garland’s new film featuring Jessie Buckley as Harper, a recent widow who books a beautiful and remote AirBnB as a way to help recover from her grief. Throughout the film, she interacts with several different men (all played by Rory Kinnear except her husband, wonderfully played by Paapa Essiedu) who represent all of the terrible men you encounter throughout life. Each man represents a type including: 

• The man who lures you into a false sense of security 

• The man who seems to be an ally but really isn’t

• The man who asks what you did wrong in a situation that is, in no way, your fault 

• The abusive man who emotionally and physically harms you and manipulates you 

• The man who believes women need a big, strong man

• The man who believes women are dramatic 

So on and so forth. 

I want to be clear that I don’t think all men are terrible, and there are truly some good men out there. HOWEVER, there are men that aren’t. These aren’t tropes, and I can say I’ve personally encountered a good chunk of the things Harper does. Most women have (I also want to be CLEAR that I am including trans women in this because trans women are women, and if you don’t believe that, you’re more than welcome to close this tab right on out. Also, also - people with a uterus have also faced this type of harassment, and I don’t want to invalidate their experiences either). 

I’ve been groped on the street, grabbed on the street, cat-called, told I’m crazy, asked why I am the way I am, asked what I did to make a man mad at me. You get the picture. As with most A24 flicks, it’s better to show not tell, so this’ll be a short one. 

I do really like Alex Garland’s work, both as a director and a writer. Annihilation and Ex Machina are both great, as is 28 Days Later... I also really liked the first two acts of this movie. Controversially, the big issue I have with this movie is within the last 15-20 minutes. 

!!!!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!

Seriously, stop reading now. 

Okay, you’ve been warned, you nosy little stinker. 

Towards the end of the film, there’s a part where several of the aforementioned Rory Kinnear characters begin birthing the other male characters. As someone who went to a liberal arts school, I feel obligated to say I GET IT. I get that it represents the cycle of continuing to install the awful attributes we continue to see in men. BUT, I think this scene is way too literal. Tonally, I don’t think the Cronenberg-esque body horror really aligns with the rest of the film, and I think after the first birth, it loses its true effectiveness. 

With all of the metaphorical and symbolic heavy hitters in the A24 family, especially with the likes of Ari Aster, you have to be as good if not better, and I’ve seen things like this done better. Ari Aster added Dani’s sister’s face into the background shrubbery of Midsommar, for Christ’s sake. 

I think the first two acts are so tense and make your skin crawl so beautifully, and I feel like such an intense smattering of gore almost undermines the first two acts. I do think Men is still worth the watch, but I do think it’s worth telling you the ending falls a little flat (at least in my opinion). 

If you’re a man, I absolutely think you should watch this. If any part of this movie makes you angry, sad, uncomfortable, or scared, congrats! You have one tiny, tiny sliver of an idea of what it means to be a woman in this world. 

To put into perspective just a miniscule fraction of what women face in this world, here’s what happened the night I saw this movie: 

1. Two men sat in my seats (it was a theater with assigned seating), and they gave me an extremely dirty look when I looked at them to say something, and they made it clear they would not be moving. 

2. As my friend and I walked out of the theater, a man asked us what we thought about the film because we were the only two women in the audience. 

I promise you, I couldn’t write that if I tried.