The Big Picture · Discussion · Interview
May 20, 2022/ 97 min/ Sean Fennessey · Joanna Robinson
Sean Fennessey and Joanna Robinson walk through Alex Garland's filmography around the release of 'Men,' then Fennessey sits down with Garland on authorship, permission, and whether he still wants to direct.
15 films across 2 segments.
AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.
The Garland machinewith Joanna Robinson
Garland's 10th produced screenplay and his third film as director, an A24 folk-horror freakout with Jessie Buckley opposite Rory Kinnear, who plays every man in the village. Robinson likens the one-actor conceit to a stage Turn of the Screw; both agree the birth-imagery finale is unlike anything else on screens.
His directing debut and, Robinson argues, the real companion piece to 'Men': the Gleeson and Isaac characters embody two ways men see women. Won the visual-effects Oscar and got him a screenplay nomination after ~15 years writing.
His largest-scale film, a box-office disappointment with loyal champions. He rewrote the VanderMeer novel heavily, treating Portman as a co-author.
Garland's debut novel, adapted by Danny Boyle with DiCaprio; Garland has said the film has little to do with the book.
Boyle collaboration Fennessey rates among Boyle's best.
The other Boyle collaboration: a space movie with a garden on the ship, the nature-inside-technology motif that recurs across his work.
His Ishiguro adaptation, unusually faithful for him.
Written by Garland and directed by Pete Travis; star Karl Urban has said Garland drove the film's tone and execution.
His next film, then in production with Kirsten Dunst, named as evidence he isn't waiting on 'Men's' returns before mounting the next one.
In conversation with Alex Garland
Garland traces the script back ~15 years (four prior drafts), explains the Sheela na gig and green-man iconography, and defends leaving the same-actor conceit unexplained: two readings, neither right.
His last-great-thing pick; rewatched it for his current film and found it even better than he remembered.
The Żuławski film Fennessey names as a cousin to 'Men'; Garland recommends it back to him.
The original: the folk-horror touchstone he says is hard to avoid, remake excepted.
Garland realized on the second take he'd unconsciously set up a shot straight out of it.
Raised as a reference point back during their Annihilation conversation.
Also mentioned raised along the way
Comparisons drawn The Green KnightMother!MidsommarWestworld
Jessie Buckley elsewhere The Lost DaughterWild Rose
Also at the movies that week Chip 'n Dale: Rescue RangersEmergencyDownton Abbey: A New EraTop Gun: Maverick
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV DevsChernobylPenny DreadfulBlack MirrorWestworld (HBO series)She-HulkDownton Abbey (series)
Stage The Turn of the Screw
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