Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: MANODROME [Berlinale 2023 - Berlin, Germany]
The context of self identity, even in a world that is filled with conflicting stimuli, is an interesting play on the notion of modern society. "Manodrome" (Competition) addresses this idea in both a direct and complex way while hiding the story in a thriller of sorts while still allowing from more independent ways of thinking. Jesse Eisenberg who understands the mode of taking risks, seemed to want to test his comfort zone while still tackling something very sociologically relevant: toxic masculinity but also the irony and confusion that seems at times to run parallel with the essence of masks for this kind of malady. At the core, the film is about Jesse Eisenberg's Ralphie about to have a baby with his girlfriend Sal (Odessa Young) but with a situation that seems fractured at best but also financially unstable. The backstory of both is built slightly but both are in the precipice of trying to let go of their pain but look at different ways to the other for how that works. Ralphie though as we see is bottling his feelings up and has other issues. He doesn't know how to interpret them. He pops pills. His thoughts wander without his control. And on top of this he pours his energy into working out and pushing that self love in looking good that probably causes him even more angst.
Eisenberg gets pumped up here and is an intelligent actor but he lets the brawn speak for all the aspects of psychology here. Ralphie has other tendencies but doesn't know how to deal with them (and Eisenberg plays it with a rock-like intensity knowing he can't betray any tongue-in-cheek aspects to the camera). Then in the midst of his limbo-esque idea of a life, he gets drawn into a male female-hating society where it is about building up the male in that he (and them in the group) has been emancipated by the women in their life. It is a bit one sided and will turn off in many ways female viewers despite its eventual trajectory.
Adrien Brody, like a mental Fight Club, plays Dad Dan, a well to do guy that has gone though the ringer with divorces but seems motivated to find muddled minds to agitate in the name of redemption. The only problem is that he pushes the buttons but the end game is not clear. To give away any more would ruin the progression but needless to say, Ralphie's psyche cannot handle the pressure and breaks loose. Eisenberg disappears into the disjointed anarchy of this man's mind who literally only functions at a certain base level and cannot quite comprehend what triggers are being set off until after it is done and without remorse (almost like it's a record skipping). It is not only his fault but society and his own lack of centered context that is to blame. Interestingly enough it is a different approach towards the end that ultimately resolves itself though that might have saved him the first place instead of it being way too late. B
By Tim Wassberg
