I was really hyped for Enys Men - I've spent some of my life in Cornwall, I studied as an ecologist, and I'm a movie fan who knows the basics of good storytelling. What this film turned out to be however was one of the most pretentious pieces of crap I've ever seen - no distinct plot, no character journey and no recognisable themes. Just a consistently mentally unstable woman on an island with random crap happening (such as a confusing focus on a big rock, lichen, and random shots of historic Cornish people) with absolutely no context.
The woman should have started the film as a completely ordinary human, and then we see her slowly lose her mind after being cut off from society. Getting stuck on an island is a good premise and the film could have delved into some really interesting themes - such as our largely unappreciated evolutionary need for others throughout our lives, or perhaps if the film was set in the present day and the technology and infrastructure breaks down the themes could have been our dependence on smart tech and society's inexperience surviving in nature. (Maybe it could have been set during the height of the pandemic which would justify not being able to be rescued).
Nothing felt earned. No matter how hard the dramatic music was trying to make me feel something, throughout I felt empty. This feeling was also shared with the two mates I saw this with, and I feel the director needs to go back to education so he can learn what makes effective storytelling.
The woman should have started the film as a completely ordinary human, and then we see her slowly lose her mind after being cut off from society. Getting stuck on an island is a good premise and the film could have delved into some really interesting themes - such as our largely unappreciated evolutionary need for others throughout our lives, or perhaps if the film was set in the present day and the technology and infrastructure breaks down the themes could have been our dependence on smart tech and society's inexperience surviving in nature. (Maybe it could have been set during the height of the pandemic which would justify not being able to be rescued).
Nothing felt earned. No matter how hard the dramatic music was trying to make me feel something, throughout I felt empty. This feeling was also shared with the two mates I saw this with, and I feel the director needs to go back to education so he can learn what makes effective storytelling.