A touch without permission, a blaming speech or someone who follows you through the night. There are few women who have never experienced something like this, and “MEN: Faces of Fear” is a folk horror film that addresses precisely the difficulty of women to feel totally safe in society.
The title was not translated for the release of the Brazilian version of the film, but it is a simple correspondence in English: “homem”.
“I’m surprised that no one has used that word as a movie title yet,” says the director. Alex Garland in an interview with producer A24. “It’s such a fundamental term and, at the same time, so simple.”
after driving “Ex-Machina” (2014) and “Annihilation” (2018) both films having women in prominent roles, Alex Garland brings the story of Harper (Jessie Buckley ), a woman seeking peace in the English countryside after the traumatic end of her marriage to James (Paapa Essiedu ).
There, she is greeted by Geoffrey (Rory Kinnear ), a host who owns a large mansion who tries to make Harper feel at home, even if he is a bit of a busybody.
Trying to get over his traumas, Harper goes on long walks through the woods, visits churches and bars and takes long baths, but despite his attempts, something always seems to haunt him.
In this case, the men in the movie. All interpreted, in a multivalent way, by the English actor Rory Kinnear.
When watching “MEN: Faces do Medo”, we realize that we are facing a folk horror, a subgenre of terror that takes place in bucolic, isolated environments and that brings various elements of religion and nature to scare the viewer.
One of the characters, by the way, is a vicar, who joins Harper’s list of non-grateful personas throughout the film, asking her invasive questions.
“You can choose how to tell a story,” says director Alex Garland. “But I feel obliged to think about the smallest details”.
In addition to a well-constructed scenario, the immersive soundtrack is one of the highlights of the film. Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury combine classical music and vocalizations that give a unique tone to the feature, whose rhythm is slow and contemplative, almost sensorial, despite having an unsettling final sequence.
It is not rare, for example, to have scenes without any speech by the characters, just with Harper walking (or running away); takes that the director is comfortable with.
“I see myself much more as a writer than a director,” says Alex, who has written books like “The Beach,” which was already adapted for film in the year 2000. “But strangely, my favorite scenes are the ones without dialogue.”
In fact, words will not explain the meaning behind “MEN: Faces of Fear”. Alex Garland plays with the script he wrote himself, often confusing the viewer when trying to convey a message, but the social context is there and seems to permeate all aspects of the film, from the performances to the actual editing of the scenes.
It is even tiring so many uncomfortable situations being exposed, but, for the director, the intention is precisely that.
“This movie is a conversation, not a sermon,” says Alex. “I hope people, as they leave the theater, connect with the film not just intellectually, but viscerally.”
“MEN: Faces do Medo” premieres this Thursday (8) in Brazilian cinemas.
Watch the trailer for “MEN: Faces of Fear”:
Source: CNN Brasil
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