X
- 2023
- Neon
- 1 h 36 m
- 2023
- Neon
- 1 h 36 m
Summary Set in 1973 on an uninhabited island off the Cornish coast, a wildlife volunteer's daily observations of a rare flower turn into a metaphysical journey that forces her as well as the viewer to question what is real and what is nightmare.
Directed By: Mark Jenkin
Written By: Mark Jenkin
- 2023
- Neon
- 1 h 36 m
- 2023
- Neon
- 1 h 36 m
Enys Men
78
5.6
Where to Watch
Summary Set in 1973 on an uninhabited island off the Cornish coast, a wildlife volunteer's daily observations of a rare flower turn into a metaphysical journey that forces her as well as the viewer to question what is real and what is nightmare.
Directed By: Mark Jenkin
Written By: Mark Jenkin
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 28 Critic Reviews
78
89% Positive
25 Reviews
25 Reviews
11% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 28 Critic Reviews
78
89% Positive
25 Reviews
25 Reviews
11% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
It’s open enough to be perceived as a character study, a horror story, or something different altogether. But what is indisputable is the movie’s excellent use of wide shots and close-ups, the gorgeous production design and cinematography, and Woodvine’s quiet but compelling performance.
The witchy atmosphere Jenkin conjures is spine-tinglingly devilish, the poetic manifestation of the subject’s deep grief, ever-ambiguous and frosty, taking on the aching melancholy of loss.
Nature nurtured into an eerie consciousness by a celluloid craftsman, it feels like a throwback to “Wicker Man”-era folk-tinged freakouts — confounding enough to not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for those ready for a pot of its brew, plenty transporting and tingling.
Mesmerising and mystifying, in equal measure. Enys Men confirms Mark Jenkin as one of the most exciting, original cinematic voices in the UK right now.
I’m sure there’s a definitive explanation, but Enys Men strikes me as a puzzle that’s more enthralled with its individual pieces than any picture they might complete.
It’s a fever dream in which the past and present are confused, along with plant and animal, the living and the dead, and, ultimately, the meaning of this troubled vision.
Visually and sonically, Enys Men is utterly intoxicating, but a lack of any nourishing interplay between form and content makes it feel like getting drunk on an empty stomach, alone on an island where everything happens at the same time, and nothing really happens at all.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 7 User Ratings
5.6
29% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
57% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
14% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 7 User Ratings
5.6
29% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
57% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
14% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company
Bosena,
Film4,
Sound/Image Cinema Lab
Release Date Mar 31, 2023
Duration 1 h 36 m
Awards
The Guardian's Best Films
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
British Independent Film Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
London Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
