I didn’t really see it as saying, “All men bad!” I saw it as one woman’s perception of men and how it’s been skewed because of her trauma. I thought it was gonna be another Last Night in Soho, but I actually liked Men way more than Soho.
I thought men was great.. I didn’t see men = bad at all.. I see it more of how one man can break one woman’s perception of all men.. one of my favorites of the year.
That's what I took away from it as well...... Not "men" bad, but "man" bad..... Especially considering the same scenario that triggered all her trauma happens in reality with both sexes. It just happened to be a man in this case. There are tons of women that unfairly lay guilt and emotional abuse on men all the time. So that doesn't play as being exclusively toxic masculinity, just overall toxic behavior from her dead husband. I took the evolving births at the end as cycles of his toxicity. All of the wounds he suffered from his fall/suicide were reflected in the births/rebirths of every persona. So my takeaway was that every toxic trait each character played by Rory Kinnear exhibited, was a toxic trait she experienced with her husband. Also, at the end of the day, how reliable is our narrator (Harper)? That's another question I kept asking myself after seeing it. Also, was there any significance in her friend being pregnant? Interesting flick, but certainly not my favorite Garland film.
@@brianjones8432 yall missing the point and trying to call her unreliable is funny considering the whole message of the movie was showing different forms of misogyny and the end scene showcasing how toxicity breeds and fathers pin their views onto their sons
@@bloodiebunniez Again, that doesn't make much sense, as toxicity and abusiveness isn't exclusive to the male sex. And considering the final shots of the film and the way she acts throughout, she's quite the unreliable narrator. I'd say it's more than open to interpretation. But hey, you do you.🤷
@@brianjones8432 theres nothing to signal she was unreliable nor was anybody saying women cant be abusers, youre literally just getting offended on behalf of all men. this was about misogyny and thats why a lot of men hate it, because so many act just the same. every woman in my life has been sexually assaulted or abused at some point, its a problem
I feel like any movie that starts out with a message rather than a story is bound to be crass and/or cringe - and despite the great visuals, this inevitably ended up being cringe and on-the-nose because of that problem.
@@pfcbangin At least _Blindspotting_ made it clear that Daveed Diggs put a target on his back for bad cops to locate, all because he cracked over a customer’s frustration over a drink Diggs served to him.
@@Wired4Life2 First, Daveed didn't serve the drink, he was security for the bar. That's why he calls it a "goblin thing". Not to mention him snapping ties into the overall theme of the movie: the gentrification of Oakland and the residents of Oakland being left to accept it or fight it and suffer the consequences. Not trying to say what Daveed did was right, but I'm saying those character flaws serve a purpose in the story. Jessie Buckley's character being with little to no noticeable flaws serves the story being told. A flawed main character isn't necessary for every story.
you’ve made me like the film just a little bit more thank you. still not a HUGE fan tho, annihilation, devs and ex-machina still on another level to it of course
Great review. As a man, I'd love to elaborate on my thoughts, but, alas, I've got to go and find a woman to harass. I didn't think that was my style, but according to Garland, it's an inescapable desire. Great tfilmmaking, wonderful atmosphere. Absolutely nauseating subtext.
'Men are all cut from the same cloth' and 'men are just passing down and inheriting toxic traits from each other' is basically saying 'men bad'. Not that this movie does not have a good story to tell. But if it is that then it is very dumb.
All theories read, heard, and understood notwithstanding, moral of the story is for Harper to be so selfish that it undermines how men are also, like her, Someones child born with their own feelings and thoughts that dont require a social democracy to have. I was always taught people are not objects regardless of Genders.
God I’m so glad that you brought a more nuanced perspective to reviewing this movie bc I’m so tired of people ignoring the many great aspects of this film (i.e. cinematography and acting) but you still acknowledge the faults. Really appreciate your content!
@theoscarexpert havs you guys ever considered doing a video on some of the comedy performances nominated for Oscars? Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids, RDJ in Tropic Thunder, Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda etc
Men is 100% a "Is it deep or dumb?" movie, and definitely falls on the dumb side imo. It's devoid of nuance and you really can't shake the feeling that it is a man telling this incredibly two dimensional story.
Really? All the men portrayed different kind of misogyny and toxic masculinity what women at least have heard irl and online. And there is a lot of other metaphors. Idk, I'm pleasantly surprised that a man made this story
Imo on base level it's a story about this ancient male deity that's captured the town and sort of traps Buckley here and tries to torture her or guilt her into becoming her concubine until she breaks - yeah? Or no?
Such a unique and profound experience, I was speechless not by the end not knowing what the fuck I just saw. All I knew, was that I needed to see the film again.
I hope Ari Aster doesn't join Robert Eggers and Alex Garland in releasing a 2022 movie where the third time is not the charm. (I liked The Northman and Men a lot, but most people agree its their weakest work)
jessie buckleys character is brilliant. the amount of people - specifically women - feeling owed more from her character are missing that's the exact point... she doesn't want to be your perfectly written multifaceted feminist icon - she just simply wanted to go on holiday to heal. she doesn't owe you jack!
This movie could’ve easily avoided this sexist issue by having Buckley’s friend be in a healthy happy relationship with a man, showing that there are some good men out there.
Watching Men made me realise even more how much I miss multi-layered directors like Stanley Kubrick and crazy FUN message flicks like Brian Yuzna's Society. They had ideas and things to say but made compelling and fun cinema experiences. This film was so dull, shallow and no fun. Shunting forever!
