Enys Men — Enys Men( Blu Ray)
Enys Men is a folk horror film set in the early 1970s on an isolated island just off the Cornish coast. The 2022 film sits somewhere between arthouse & post-horror, and I think it’s fair to say it’s a picture that needs a fair bit of patience. Yes, it certainly reproduces the feeling of light dread touched 1970s, and at points is decidedly chilling & even unnerving. But to begin with, it has a very repetitively structured, and takes just a little too long to get to its horror point. Here from the BFI is a Blu-Ray release of the film- featuring a commentary track, and some worthy/ interesting extras.
Enys Men is the second full-length feature from Cornish born & bred Mark Jenkin- who both wrote and directed the film. His first feature was 2019’s Bait- which was a brooding black & white filmed arthouse drama. He also has twenty shorts & music videos to his name that date back to 2015.
The film's plot/ surface set-up is very simple. It’s set in the year 1973, on a small island off the Cornish coast- where a middle-aged woman- known as The Volunteer (Mary Woodvine) is staying on her own observing a single rare plant. She is living in a rundown vine-covered cottage, with the power created by a rickety & chugging petrol generator. Also on the island is an old mine & its tumbling down buildings, and a standing stone.
The first hour or so of the film sees The Volunteer going about her day-to-day measurements in a red pack-a-mack. This takes in her checking the flower, which sits on the edge of the cliffs above the crashing sea & deep blue skies. Dropping a stone down the old mine shaft, walking past the standing stone, and get back to the house to write up in her notebook her observations. This is all soundtracked by warbling & melancholy retro ambient synth tones. In this part of the film, we get very subtly moments of creepy & uneasy forewarning, and towards the end of this part of the film, a strange girl appears.
In the films last half-an-hour things kick up (slightly) a gear- as both The volunteers' own past, meets with the island's past & tradition. I won’t really detail this part too much, as it features major spoilers, and to be honest I’m still not totally certain exactly what it all means. For this part of the film, we get more lullingly simmering retro electronica, stark folk, and soundscaping as it's score.
Woodvine has a wonderful weather-worn & rugged face, and she does a good enough job as the film's key focus. We do have a few other people drifting through the film- but these may/ may not be ghosts.
There is no doubt that Jenkin’s has perfectly recreated the feel of the 70’s in a subtly & moody manner. To start with the film comes off like a slightly abstract nature doc from the decade, and as it moves towards the more subtle suspense/ horror fare of the decade. As we move into its last quarter, we are very much left between what is/ isn’t reality filmmaking
I’ll have to say at present I’m a little on the fence with Enys Men- certainly, I find elements of the film compelling & intriguing. But equally, I find the film's initial repetition, and subtle touches of unease- somewhat frustrating. I’d normally in this type of situation say watch the trailer- but unfortunately this is rather misleading- as it rather presents the whole thing as a pacier horror-thiller. So, I’d say if you enjoy folk horror- in an arthouse/ post horror setting-it’s best just to see it for yourself, and make up your own mind.
Moving onto this Blu-Ray presentation, and we get a nice selection of new & archive extras. First off, we get a commentary track from director Mark Jenkin & respected UK film critic/commentator Mark Kermode- and this is very good, really full of interesting facts & observations. They begin by saying that they are not going to give away too much of the mystery/ meaning behind the film's plot. We find out it was filmed on a 16mm clockwork camera- which was underexposed at points to create faults & glitches in the print. We get talk about red being a prominent colour in the film, followed to a lesser extent by yellow & blue. They discuss the film's locations and the reason for setting it in 1973. They talk about the dressing of the house. Later on, they discuss the use & manipulation of radio elements in the film, pointing out who is playing walk-on roles. Discusses influences on the film, and of one of the key important moments in the picture. A very worthwhile track.
We get a secondary (sort-of) track from Mark Jenkin- which finds the director detailing his filming process as he goes along in the form of an audio diary. Otherwise, we have Mark Jenkin and Mary Woodvine in conversation with Mark Kermode (28.49) an onstage interview between the three. Film Sounds (1 hour 26) which finds Douglas Wier conducting an onstage interview between Mark Jenkin and filmmaker Peter Strickland (Berberian Sound Studio, Flux Gourmet)- with a focus on how each creator utilizers sound in their work. Recording the Score (5.50) which is black & white footage of the director working on the film's soundtrack.
On the archive side, we get two things. The Duchy of Cornwall (14.57) this is a 1938 film looking at the wild beauty of the country. Haunters Of The Deep (1.00.58) this is a 1984 Children’s Film Foundation adventure/ ghost story that features many West Cornwall locations from Enys Men, and was an influence on director Mark Jenkin. The film regards a US executive coming to Cornwall to look at a recently uncovered mine, with regards to investing in it. He brings along his tom-boy daughter, who befriends the eleven-year-old son of a local fisherman. We get dead miner children appearing in suddenly blowing in fog, a fight for time in the mine, etc. The film is quite tense in places, as it is low-key creepy too, and it’s nice to see some of Enys Men locations back in the mid 80’s. Lastly, we have an image gallery & trailer.
The finished release comes presented with an illustrated booklet with a director’s Statement; essays by Tara Judah, Rob Young, William Fowler and Jason Wood; credits and notes on the special features. So, a nice selection of bonus material both new & archive.
In finishing if you have a penchant for folk horror, and very low-key dreamy post horror I think you may well enjoy what Enys Men has to offer. Personally, I certainly admire/ respect what Enys Men is trying to do, and I’ll certainly keep an eye out for what Mark Jenkin does next…but I’m still very much in two minds about the film.