Mark Jenkin’s “Enys Men”

Enys Men (Stone Island) (2023)

Those expecting a horror will be disappointed but those willing to allow themselves to be absorbed by the atmosphere of this enigmatic and experimental work will be rewarded

The trailer for this echoes imagery reminiscent of folk horror and Nicolas Roeg’s “Don’t Look now”, but this isn’t a horror as much as a sensory experience. As with his excellent debut “Bait”, Jenkin has filmed this on 16mm (though in colour this time) and because the sound was engineered separately, it’s noticeably crafted and that oddly makes it even more immersive with every crunch of a boot on gravel, every creaking door or crackling radio. For those who played the classic indie videogame Dear Esther, set on a remote island in the Hebrides, this has a similar atmosphere and tone.

Though it isn’t strictly a horror, its use of horror imagery and tone supported by an orginal soundtrack by Jenkin himself consistently instills a sense of unease as if there’s something just off frame waiting to make its appearance.

Set in 1973, Mary Woodvine plays a volunteer on a remote island off the Cornish coast where she gathers data around a group of white flowers in a routine that plays out like a naturalist version of Jeanne Dielman. Nature and the past creep into the days as barriers of time and memory slowly erode.

The film does require effort from the audience and a certain leap of faith to fully experience what’s on offer here. A couple left the cinema halfway through the film while I was watching which could be down to expectations of a more traditional horror or simply down to being confounded by what they were seeing. I enjoyed the experience of being pulled into the world and mood but I’m having difficulty putting it into words. It’s tempting to call it ambient but that undersells what Jenkin has done here and is as innaccurate as calling it a horror film.

If you enjoyed “Bait” and was absorbed by its atmosphere and you’re willing to give yourself over to something more experimental, you’re likely to get a lot out of this haunting and enigmatic film.