Review: Manodrum (2023) | Filmtopp.se

Dysfunctional masculinity as portrayed by Eisenberg

A lost male unit is brought into the spotlight when South African director John Trengove produces a dystopian drama where the acting impresses, but not the script. The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival last week.

John Trengove He previously directed and wrote the script for Hopeville (2010) and the wound (2017) and is now making his first film in the English language. He has big stars with him Like Jesse EisenbergAnd Adrien Brody And Odessa Young.

It is hazy and gray New York when we start the movie. Ralphie (Eisenberg) earns a living as an Uber driver, not unlike a certain movie from before Martin Scorseseand tries to be a support for his pregnant girlfriend, Sal (young man). Unfortunately, their relationship is not peaceful. Ralphie lives a ruined life as a stereotypical macho guy trying to pump up his muscles as much as possible during his daily gym sessions. He is tormented by a great sense of insecurity, which expresses itself in serious aggressive problems, which in turn lead to difficulty keeping his friends.

Strong acting performance

From the beginning Is it hard to understand Ralphie as a character, he’s certainly lost in life and doesn’t feel like he fits into his role as a man and doesn’t feel justice. His life takes a different turn when he transfers to a self-help group, led by the suitably dark father (Brody). With the motto “Do something, take power,” the guys in the group try to get ahead in life. Unfortunately, it seems difficult for Ralph, who seems to be turning more towards darkness after joining the group. Eisenberg He should be commended for his interpretation of the roles as he really should not hold back, well balanced not to be overdone.

The movie is weak as a whole

Trengov did not succeed To bring more depth to the story. Even though you feel sympathy for the characters, this never gets warm. They also get scattershot when a side story appears and could really add something extra to the plot, but then suddenly disappears and is never followed up on. I feel it Trengov She tried to make something completely unique, which the story could really be, but it never wants to be.

Lots of shortcomings It lies in the fact that the text does not seem to have been fully implemented. There will be a lot of question marks and the consistency of Ralphie’s character development will be very uneven. For those of us in the audience, it’s hard to fathom, which is what pushes him when he regularly seems to be on the verge of falling apart. That the male weakness appears in the film is something unique, and it is Trengov He certainly realizes that and we can hope to see more of these images that move away from the stereotypically strong, confident, masculine persona.

It is still not clear when the film will be released in Sweden.