Myth of Man

This review has to be oblique in order to serve the cause of the indefinable, because to describe this stellar work of art would be a disservice. Labeling and packaging this magic would tend to draw it from the celestial to the mundane terrestrial. The film makers have revealed a dimension heretofore never exposed, a reality every bit as tangible as that last dream you had. To label it a "fourth dimension" or something, again, would only diminish it. The Myth of Man is ineffably sublime and, paradoxically, worthy of enduring acknowledgment and dissertation. Similar to those things in life that are subject to change simply by being analyzed and/or defined. Like sex.

I'm going to have to make it clear from the start that I cannot do this film justice in my review. I am not skilled enough as a writer to be able to describe it and it deserves better words than I can throw together in my ham-fisted way, so what I'll try and do is explain why I like this movie so much and why and if that sounds like something that appeals to you then please go see it yourself.

The reason it's so hard to describe is because the film makers have made their own world and that world is unfamiliar. It has a diesel punk aesthetic with ecchos of Fritz Lang's Metropolis or Dark City but it's not clear how it all works - there is no dialogue and it doesn't have exposition for the sake of understanding the film. What it has are characters - the people in the movie know what's going on and they are totally relatable.

They have hopes, fears, they go on a journey. We see them navaigate their world, try to change it, try to change each other and it's magical and I have never been so engrossed in a story in my life at a cinema.

We were lucky enough to have some time at the end for a Q&A with the film makers and lead actors and it felt like we could have been sat around a camp fire with them telling the story and they'd have begun as the light fades then we find ourselves cold, damp, the fire gone out and the sun rising at they finish theri tale but nobody would have noticed any of those things... the story is just so captivating.

Will you like it? I don't know. I think people who are used to graphic novels will connect with it easier (I'm not a comic fan myself, but I appreciate how emotionally connecting an artform it is). Check out the trailer. Take a risk - it may be one of the most captivating films you ever see.

I would struggle to find the words to retell the story of Myth of Man but this is a film I will likely never forget. It is beautifully shot, the matt pastel colours are gorgeous and the music sublime. The lead actress is incredible - telling immensely moving chapters with just a furrow of her brow, a slight smile or a widening of her eyes - she is an incredible talent and I am sure she will go on to achieve marvelous things. The whole styling of this film pulls you in and keeps you amazed in scene after scene. I cannot recommend it highly enough and it's current score on IMDB of 5.5 is absolutely bewildering to me.

My take. It's about disability and the loneliness and isolation that it can bring. How those with the inability to hear, can still feel the weight of those screaming loudest to be noticed.

It's also about the fear and stigma that it can bring.

Then my ultimate take is that it's about those people sticking together as one and being heard just that much more, but having to learn to trust those you may not have ever trusted.

It's an AMAZING movie. It's about pure emotional acting mixed with an even more amazing musical score.

It is most definitely not a movie for those who don't think deeply about the meaning of what they are watching, past the action heros' tagline and/or heaving chesticles.

It's art. Plain and simple. Interpret it how you wish.

Perfect 10? Off course not. Nothing is perfect. But it's as close as it gets. Absolutely moving and brilliant!

What a truly profound presentation of love and compassion. I wish more filmmakers would take the risks to create something so deeply moving as Myth of Man. There's something very special with each of Jamin.and Kiowa's films; each seems to take place in a world just outside our own, and in those worlds they create something timeless and magical, calling our attention to the human side of humanity. The bonds that connect us. Hope. Trust in there being more good than bad. Kindness. Empathy. The holistic human experience. And they do it like no one else. It's a perfect example of masterful storytelling, and Jamin is truly one of the finest composers in film, this proves it. Thank you for making this film, Jamin and Kiowa. Please never stop.