Enys Men – Film Review

If there is one thing I absolutely had to say that I thoroughly enjoyed about Mark Jenkin‘s Enys Men, it would have to be the film’s atmosphere and it’s retro feel. Seriously – the way this film is shot and the way the colors pop in it truly make it feel like its from the 70s.

However, aside from that, this is easily one of the worst movies of the year thus far which was quite disappointing for me as I had heard great word-of-mouth and I thought the trailer made it look terrific. In all actuality though, Enys Men is a pointless series of events that don’t build up to anything of substance or interest.

This is basically just a ninety-minute exercise of seeing just how long you’ll be able to watch before wanting to check your phone to see how much longer you have left, which I ended up doing quite often. If Jenkin was trying to craft his film this way then he succeeded, but I’m sure he wanted it to be an enjoyable experience.

Enys Men also doesn’t really have any deep themes and it doesn’t go into any serious subject matter like it seemed it was going to based on its marketing. It honestly is just a movie where we watch our lead character repeatedly do the same thing with little else happening.

I appreciate that the filmmakers were able to safely band together during the COVID-19 pandemic and make a movie – I just wanted it to be a lot better. The characters in this film are barely even characters since we don’t ever get to know anything about them.

In some horror films this can be okay but it doesn’t work here because the film doesn’t place its entertainment value anywhere else. And speaking of horror films – I hesitate even calling this one a horror film because there genuinely isn’t a creepy moment in sight here.

Jenkin may be an incredibly talented filmmaker but you wouldn’t know that by watching Enys Men. While I respect him for directing, writing, shooting, and composing the music for this film, I can’t help but think of this movie and get a sour taste in my mouth. Unless you’re massively into movies that feel like they were made in the old days, then you should stay away from this movie at all costs.

Enys Men may utilize its atmosphere in a stylish manner, but it’s still a shockingly boring and uneventful horror film that serves as a test of the viewer’s patience rather than the surreal epic it wants to be.