A24 only recently released two new horrors: Ti West's X, which follows a group of porn stars harassed by an elderly couple, and Halina Reijn's Bodies Bodies Bodies, about a group of 20-somethings that turn on each other at a party. Now the independent entertainment company have another upcoming horror, titled Men.
The trailer for Men is as eerie as one can expect from an A24 movie. Beginning calmly, to the tune of Lesley Duncan's "Love Song," viewers watch a woman (Jessie Buckley) acquaint herself with the beautiful countryside house she's renting, before things take a dark turn. Suddenly, the woman is reminded of her late husband's (assumed) suicide and is made to feel guilty by the male villagers who stalk her and, creepily, share the innkeeper's (Rory Kinnear) face. It's a terrifying premise that has viewers wanting to know more. Fortunately, here are some answers to those questions.
The Director
Men is written and directed by British novelist and filmmaker Alex Garland. As a novelist, Garland is best known as the author of the hugely successful 1996 novel The Beach, which was adapted into a 2000 movie directed by Danny Boyle and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Garland also wrote screenplays for Boyle's movies 28 Days Later and Sunshine, and for the movies Never Let Me Go and Dredd. He made his directorial debut with the Oscar-winning sci-fi movie Ex-Machina, about a young programmer (Domhnall Gleeson) who falls in love with a female robot (Alicia Vikander). His second movie, Annihilation, is also a sci-fi movie, based on the 2014 Jeff VanderMeer novel of the same name. Garland also wrote and directed the sci-fi thriller series Devs for Hulu.
The director will be joined by cinematographer Rob Hardy, who collaborated with Garland on Ex-Machina, Annihilation, and Devs. Hardy won a Bafta for his work on the John Crowley-directed movie Boy A, which stars Andrew Garfield as a convicted child killer. Men will be produced by Cahal Bannon, Andrew Macdonald, and Allon Reich.
The Plot
A24 describes Men as a "feverish, shape-shifting new horror movie." As the trailer shows, it follows a widowed woman, Harper (Jessie Buckley), who retreats to the English countryside following the death of her husband (Paapa Essiedu). Here she runs into one giant problem preventing her from healing: men. It seems the male villagers are insistent on reminding her of her trauma, and blaming her for it too. But not only that — they also stalk her. And when she voices her concerns, they gaslight her.
Harper runs into several men in the trailer, and aside from her late husband, all of them share the innkeeper Geoffrey's face. These other versions of Geoffrey are a priest, bartender, pub-goer, police officer and school kid (whose CGI face might be the creepiest thing of all).
The Cast
The star of Men, Jessie Buckley, is an actress to watch. Having made her big-screen debut as Moll Huntford in the British psychological thriller Beast, Buckley has since had leading roles in Wild Rose, about an aspiring country singer from Glasgow, and I'm Thinking of Ending Things, about a young woman whose trip to meet her boyfriend's parents turns strange. For her recent movie, Lost Daughter, where she starred as the younger version of Olivia Coleman's Leda, she was nominated for an Oscar but lost the award to Ariana DeBose who won Best Supporting Actress as Anita in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story.
Rory Kinnear, who plays most of the men in Men, is known for his role as Bill Tanner in the James Bond movies Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die. Kinnear also starred alongside Benedict Cumberbatch as Detective Nock in The Imitation Game. As for Paapa Essiedu, who plays Harper's husband, the actor had a small role as Sergeant Campbell in Murder on the Orient Express, but is best known for playing Kwame in the award-winning British miniseries I May Destroy You; a role for which he himself earned Primetime Emmy and Bafta nominations.
The Release Date
Men is set to be released in theaters on May 20, and fans of Garland and Buckley will be pleased to know they have other projects coming up too. Earlier this year it was announced Alex Garland is writing and directing a new movie, titled Civil War. As with Men, Civil War will be released by A24, and whilst plot details are being kept under wraps, it will be a near-future action movie, starring Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog), Wagner Moura (Narcos), Stephen McKinley (Lady Bird), and Cailee Spaeny (Mare of Easttown).
Buckley, on the other hand, is set to star in Women Talking, an upcoming American drama movie based on the 2008 Miriam Toews novel of the same name. Women Talking follows a group of women grappling with their faith after being sexually assaulted by the male members of their religious colony. The movie, which is written and directed by Sarah Polley, will also star actresses Frances McDormand (Nomadland), Rooney Mara (Carol), Claire Foy (The Crown), Judith Ivey (The Devil's Advocate), Sheila McCarthy (The Day After Tomorrow), and Michelle McLeod (Don't Talk to Irene).