History Film / Men

** The vicar quotes the poem "[[Myth/ClassicalMythology Leda and the Swan]]" to Harper, [[spoiler:and later refers to himself as "the swan" - the swan in the poem being a shapeshifted [[JerkassGods Zeus]] who took on the form to rape a human woman, not unlike the mysterious entity's ultimate goal.]]

* DamselInDistress: Though Harper begs him not to venture into the garden to search for the intruder, Geoffrey brushes her off and proclaims, "Damsel in distress, I'm just your fella."

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere:

* SinisterSilhouettes: When Harper is walking through the tunnel, she sees up ahead a the silhouette of a male figure get up off the ground and then stand at the other side, motionless. Given that she can't make out any detail of the figure to explain his behavior or gauge his intentions, Harper is immediately put on guard. Then he starts inexplicably running toward her, making Harper immediately turn around and flee. It's never explained who (of which) man this is, but given that he appears to be wearing a jacket, he's likely ''not'' the naked man she's menaced by shortly thereafter.

* OurMonstersAreWeird: If taken literally, whatever is menacing Harper [[spoiler:is apparently some sort of hive-mind of males with the same face that can teleport and give birth to new versions of itself]]. Given the surreal nature of the film, however, it's likely not intended to be literal and instead act as some sort of universal stand-in for the dangerous insecurities of men.

* OurMonstersAreWeird: About all one can say about whatever is ultimately terrorizing Harper is that it's definitely not human, even if it looks like one. [[spoiler:It can apparently shape-shift, except for it's face, we see it teleport, it can be one person or several, and it's capable of getting pregnant. With other versions of itself.]] This is one of the more surreal elements of the film and likely not intended to be read literally.

* RuleOfSymbolism: The film very much runs on it. Most prominently, there is the fact that all the men in Cotson have the same face, but it is never directly acknowledged by the narrative, making it clear that it is a literary device of sorts. Then there is the mysterious stalker, who is implied to be the Green Man, a mythical figure who is very much seeped in [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition death-and-rebirth]] symbolism in his own right. And then, [[spoiler:during the final confrontation, all of the men who attack Harper gradually come to suffer the same injuries that James sustained in his death]].

* PoliceAreUseless: While they do arrest the naked man who tried to break into Harper's rental house, they just as quickly clothe him and let him go. When Harper tells the police officer said man was stalking her, he dismisses her claims and tells her no crime was actually committed.

* YankTheDogsChain: The naked man reaches out to Harper through her mail slot twice, and the first time it happens, she assumes it's a show of hostility. The second time, he reaches out to her in a manner that's less threatening and more plaintive, so she responds by offering her own hand... only for him to roughly grab by the wrist her so she has to defend herself.

* ActionGirl: When things start to get bad near the end, Harper confronts the intruder armed with a knife and doesn't stop [[spoiler:until it takes on the form of her deceased husband.]]

* ColorMotif: The outdoors are always presented in bright vivid greens, as befitting the English countryside. It also underscores the supernatural forces lurking quietly beneath the surface. The indoor, including the walls of Harper's rented house, and the pub, are always dark red. That underscores that seeking refuge inside is no assurance of safety against the entity that pursues Harper. Flashback scenes are all lit with an intense sunset orange.

* AccidentalMisnaming: Subverted. Geoffrey refers to Harper as "Mrs. Marlowe" several times, even after she corrected him several times. Geoffrey, in response, plays it off as forgetfulness on his behalf. [[spoiler:When he finally snarls a venomous and emphasized ''"Mrs. Marlowe"'' at Harper during their final showdown, it becomes crystal clear that is really a case of MaliciousMisnaming.]]

''Men'' is a 2022 British {{folk horror}} drama film written and directed by Creator/AlexGarland and starring Creator/JessieBuckley and Creator/RoryKinnear. Produced by Creator/{{A24}}, the film was released on May 20, 2022, additionally screening in the Directors' Fortnight section of that year's Cannes Film Festival.

Harper Marlowe (Buckley) travels to the small village of Cotson in the English countryside for a holiday to rest, recuperate, and most of all recover from the intense emotional fallout surrounding the recent death of her husband James. In the village, she rents a holiday house from Geoffrey (Kinnear), a local caretaker.

''Men'' is notably Garland's first directorial effort completely outside of the genre of [[ScienceFiction science fiction]], although he had previously worked with {{horror}} elements in ''Film/{{Annihilation}}''.

* DrivenToSuicide: It's left deliberately {{ambiguous|Situation}} but strongly implied that James did this. He certainly threatened to do it, but Harper says that it was either this or he slipped while attempting to climb down to her balcony after she kicks him out. The priest Harper talks to suggests ''she'' drove her husband to it.

* GainaxEnding: [[spoiler:Harper attempts to drive away from the house, but accidentally hits and is then carjacked by Geoffrey, who turns the car around and chases her, ultimately crashing it in front of the house. The naked man then appears before her in full Green Man form, after which he gives graphic, violent birth to Samuel, who then does the same to the vicar, then Geoffrey, and then finally James. Harper picks up an ax and calmly sits down with James, with James stating that he still blames her for his death and still wants her love. She holds the ax thoughtfully, after which we see Riley (revealed to be pregnant) finally arriving at the house, seeing the blood trail out front, and finding Harper sitting in the garden, who smiles when she sees her.]]

* SexIsEvilAndIAmHorny: [[spoiler:When the priest confronts Harper in the bathroom, he proclaims her and her gender to be MadeOfEvil, even as he is clearly lusting after her and then proceeds to try to force himself upon her.]]
* SinisterMinister: The priest Harper confides in starts suggesting she was in some way to blame for her husband's death despite her protestations. He also [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace puts his hand on her knee]] while she looks uncomfortable. Special attention is paid to him putting on lip balm and licking his lips. Lastly, when [[spoiler:he confronts Harper in her house, he makes crude remarks about her sexuality before attempting to rape her]].

[[caption-width-right:350:He seems to be a [[TheUnSmile friendly-looking]] fellow...]]

''Men'' is a British FolkHorror[=/=]drama film produced by Creator/{{A24}}, and released on May 20th, 2022. It stars Creator/JessieBuckley and Creator/RoryKinnear, and was both written and directed by Creator/AlexGarland.

After the death of her husband, James, Harper Marlowe (Buckley) travels to the small village of Cotson in the English countryside for a holiday to rest and recuperate. There she rents a holiday house from Geoffrey (Kinnear), a local caretaker. However, she soon realizes there is something abnormal about the town where she's staying and that she could be in danger.

The teaser trailer and official trailer can be seen [[https://youtu.be/HKJ4Thgk1Js here]] and [[https://youtu.be/pt81CJcWZy8 here]], respectively.

!!Tropes include:

* AccidentalMisnaming: Subverted. Geoffrey refers to Harper as "Mrs. Malowe" several times, even after she corrected him several times. Geoffrey, in response, plays it off as forgetfulness on his behalf. [[spoiler:When he finally snarls a venomous and emphasized ''Mrs. Malowe'' at Harper during their final showdown, it becomes crystal clear that is really a case of MaliciousMisnaming.]]

* EntitledToHaveYou: [[spoiler:At the end of the film, a worn out Harper asks the grisly reborn James what he wants from her. James laconically replies: "Your love."]]
* GhostlyGape: One shot features Harper's screaming face underneath some clear water; the distortion the water creates makes her mouth seem abnormally long.

* IdyllicEnglishVillage: Cotsun, with its manor house and ancient church.

* LateToTheTragedy: Riley, Harper's friend who she facetimes throughout the film, finally agrees to come to the house to check on her, however by the time she gets there it is the morning after all of the terrifying events of the film have happened.

* YankTheDogsChain: The naked man reaches out to Harper through her mail slot twice, and the first time it happens, she assumes it's a show of hostility. The second time, he reaches out to her in a manner that's less threatening and more plaintive, so she responds by offering her own hand... only for him to roughly grab her so she has to defend herself.

* NatureSpirit: While it is not obvious at first, the mysterious stalker who menaces Harper is seen adorning himself with oak leafs, which then even later begin to outright grow out of his skin, implying him to be the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Man Green Man]], a figure in English folklore who has a somewhat ambiguous origin, but is commonly associated with paganism and is seen as a symbol of spring and rebirth.

* RuleOfSymbolism: The film very much runs on it. Most prominently, there is the fact that all the men in Cotson have the same face, but it is never directly acknowledged by the narrative, making it clear that it is a literary device of sorts. And then, [[spoiler:during the final confrontation, all of the men who attack Harper gradually come to suffer the same injuries that James sustained in his death]].

After the death of her husband, James, Harper Marlowe (Buckley) travels to the small village of Cotson in English countryside for a holiday to rest and recuperate. There she rents a holiday house from Geoffrey (Kinnear), a local caretaker. However, she soon realizes there is something abnormal about the town where she's staying and that she could be in danger.

* TemptingApple: Perhaps one of the film's the most obvious BiblicalMotifs. One of the first scenes is one of Harper [[TemptingApple helping herself to a morsel from the rented property's apple tree]]. To hammer it home, Geoffrey later jokes that she has taken "forbidden fruit". Even later, we see the mysterious naked stalker also helping himself to an apple from the tree.

* BiblicalMotifs: Perhaps the most obvious example is Harper [[TemptingApple helping herself to a morsel from the rented property's apple tree]]. To hammer it home, Geoffrey later jokes that she has taken "forbidden fruit". Even later, we see the mysterious naked stalker also helping himself to an apple from the tree.

* BiblicalMotifs: Perhaps the most obvious example is Harper [[TemptingApple helping herself to a morsel from the rented property's apple tree]]. To hammer it home, Geoffrey later jokes that she has taken "forbidden fruit".

* NatureSpirit: While it is not obvious at first, the mysterious stalker who menaces Harper is seen adorning himself with oak leafs, which then even later begin to outright grow out of his skin, implying him to be the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Man Green Man]], a figure in English folklore of somewhat ambiguous origin, but is associated with paganism and is seen as a symbol of spring and rebirth.

* NatureSpirit: While it is not obvious at first, the mysterious stalker who menaces Harper is seen to adorning himself with oak leafs, which then begin to grow out of his skin, implying him to be the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Man Green Man]], a figure in English folklore of somewhat ambiguous origin, but is associated with paganism and is seen as a symbol of spring and rebirth.

After the death of her husband, James, Harper Marlowe (Buckley) travels to the English countryside for a holiday to rest and recuperate. There she rents a holiday house from Geoffrey (Kinnear), a local caretaker. However, she soon realizes there is something abnormal about the town where she's staying and that she could be in danger.

* NoEnding: [[spoiler:After a horrifying sequence where the men of the town give birth to each other one after another in a row, the last one takes the form of James. He blames Harper for his death and asks for her love]] but the film ends before we see her response. There is a stinger, but all it confirms is that [[spoiler:Harper survived]], and that [[spoiler:the car crashed into the stone fixture and the trail of blood leading into the house are real, as Riley can see them.]]

* PoliceAreUseless: While they do arrest the naked man who tried to break into Harper’s rental house, they just as quickly clothe him and let him go. When Harper tells the police officer said man was stalking her, he dismisses her claims and tells her no crime was actually committed.