“Enys Men” by Mark Jenkin

Probably many disagree but it is very gratifying when within the official program of the Sitges festival one comes across an unclassifiable film, apparently far from the general and systematic tastes of a closed-minded public such as that of the Catalan event. For this reason, it is neither unusual nor especially alarming that a large part of the public left the main hall of the festival during the projected showings of a film as special as it is Enys Men.

The latest feature film by Mark Jenkin, director of the also unclassifiable Baitimmerses us in one of the most immersive and fascinating films that we can find in this edition. An absolutely atmospheric film that transports us to an island where a woman lives alone, dedicating her life to observing some native plants of the place. Her only concern revolves around very limited supplies but which she receives periodically. We quickly realize that something is wrong and does not fit into the film, especially when what seem to be ghosts or wandering spirits that at one time could inhabit the island begin to appear to the protagonist. Projections, often in the form of nocturnal nightmares, which even come to rethink the very existence and origins of the main character. All this under the overwhelming influence of a rock-monument in honor of the people who lost their lives at sea, and which seems to be the origin and cornerstone of everything mystical that surrounds the island.

Like any immersive film, it can be uphill for the viewer who does not access a special treatment of a time that sometimes seems to collapse; or to an anti-narrative story practically free of dialogues in the form of a call to experimentation only through the senses. But make no mistake Enys Men it is a terrifying film, which does not use the most obvious and explicit means to cause fear, but instead gets under the skin to stir and horrify you inside.

Enys Men (Mark Jenkin, 2022) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️