Living on an island off the Cornish coast, a wildlife volunteer's daily observations of a rare flower takes a dark turn into the strange and metaphysical, forcing her to question what is real and what is a nightmare.
Director: Mark Jenkin
Cast: Mary Woodvine, Edward Rowe, Flo Crowe, John Woodvine
Release Date: March 31, 2023
Genre: Horror
Not Rated
Runtime: 1h 31m
Review:
Mark Jenkin’s Enys Men possesses a unique retro style look and feel that’s sure to appeal to a very specific segment of film fans. Its repetition establishes a very specific rhythm early, one that will either engage or lose the audience. It evokes a 70’s style energy similar to 1973’s Don’t Look Now mixed with the original Wicker Man. The film is decidedly light on dialogue, relying more on visuals and auditory flashes to establish its unsettling environment that blurs the lines enough to make you wonder how much of what you’re seeing is real, imagined or something else entirely. Jenkin’s drops story clues here and there as the film gets progressively more abstract and dreamlike. It’s the type of film that doesn’t offer up easy answers, which makes for a more active viewing experience. Mary Woodvine provides a subtle understated turn as The Volunteer with her piercing blue eyes carrying more emotional heft than most of the dialogue she’s given. The supporting cast serve as creepy window dressing, appearing and disappearing throughout the film but at the center is Woodvine whose performance anchors the film. By the time Enys Men ends, you maybe left with more questions than answers, but you get the impression that what Mark Jenkin was going for all along.
B-
