Ashes to ashes, apples to apples, and Jessie Buckley descends into a mouth of madness in “Men.”
Director Alex Garland’s upcoming A24 thriller centers on a woman (Buckley) who plans a countryside holiday while mourning her husband (“I May Destroy You” breakout Paapa Essiedu) who seemingly jumped off of their roof, plunging to his death. Yet Buckley’s character is still haunted by her loss, especially after biting into the “forbidden fruit” on the property of her bed and breakfast.
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Buckley starts seeing ghosts — and the face of her innkeeper (Rory Kinnear) — everywhere. How many “Men” is too many? Academy Award nominee Buckley seems to be trapped in a purgatory of her own making, with each male figure demanding she take responsibility for her spouse’s death and the blame for his unhappiness. A24’s “Men” premieres in theaters on May 20.
Director Garland reunites with cinematographer Rob Hardy after collaborating on “Ex Machina” and “Annihilation.” The filmmakers also work together on Garland’s sci-fi FX series “Devs.” Garland write and directs “Men,” which is produced by Eli Bush, Andrew Macdonald, and Allon Reich.
Garland is also slated to direct Academy Award nominee Kirsten Dunst in A24’s “Civil War,” also starring Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Cailee Spaeny.
As for Buckley rounding out her newfound A-lister status following “Lost Daughter” and “I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” the star previously told IndieWire that she has had numerous “battles” finding the right roles.
“I like auditioning, but sometimes you fall in love with characters, when you get a script it punches you in the stomach and you work your ass off,” Buckley said at the time. “With auditions, you get to taste a little bit of what it might be. It might not work out. Somebody has a different idea of what that might be. I don’t mind that. Different stories each find you at different times. It’s sad when I see a person going away from me, after I got to read something, and looked at myself or the world differently because of that transient love passing through my life for a few weeks.”
“Men” will be released in theaters May 20.
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