The Misandrists

A spoiler light review of The Misandrists should begin with tone, because Bruce LaBruce understands exactly how this comedy ought to feel. The Misandrists gains early credibility from Susanne Sachße, whose presence is balanced by the different rhythm of Viva Ruiz. The foundation of The Misandrists can be stated simply: The Misandrists begins with Volker, a young man with an injured leg, stumbling through the forest, pursued by the police and their tracking dogs. Within its 1h 31m running time, The Misandrists reveals both the benefits and the limits of that disciplined approach.

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The Misandrists benefits from Bruce LaBruce being unable to turn workable ingredients into a stable rhythm about what each sequence needs to accomplish. Instead of making every beat equally loud, Bruce LaBruce lets The Misandrists create contrast between pressure and release. The premise retains appeal even when the finished film struggles throughout The Misandrists, with the strongest decisions feeling connected to character rather than display. It is still fair to say that The Misandrists suffers because explanation repeatedly takes the place of discovery, but the problem remains contained.

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Visually, The Misandrists is most persuasive when comic timing built around character guides attention without becoming an attraction separate from the drama. Jürgen Brüning Filmproduktion supports The Misandrists with comic timing built around character, giving individual scenes a shared design logic. The Germany production character of The Misandrists is clearest in its use of well judged reactions to make place feel consequential. Even during its busiest moments, The Misandrists benefits from an edit and sound mix that protect the immediate emotional line.

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What keeps The Misandrists emotionally readable is Susanne Sachße, whose choices establish a consistent point of view. In scenes with Viva Ruiz, The Misandrists gains tension from two performers refusing to produce the same kind of energy. Kembra Pfahler contributes a separate rhythm to The Misandrists and helps the supporting material feel less purely functional. The direction by Bruce LaBruce gives the cast of The Misandrists room to connect the quieter beats with the larger ones.

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The Misandrists is most involving when the screenplay allows Misandrists to complicate what initially appears to be a story about Volker. That shift gives Susanne Sachße a more specific problem to carry through The Misandrists. Working from material credited to Bruce LaBruce, The Misandrists reveals Isolde at a measured pace instead of rushing toward its largest turn. The later pressure around Hilde shows why The Misandrists benefits whenever cause and consequence remain visibly connected.

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The central idea running through The Misandrists concerns embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. Susanne Sachße gives that idea a human scale, allowing The Misandrists to remain accessible even when its world becomes larger. By returning to Isolde, The Misandrists turns theme into a source of pressure rather than a message waiting to be delivered. The handling by Bruce LaBruce lets The Misandrists leave a little interpretive room, which gives its better scenes an afterlife.

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Overall, The Misandrists amounts to a missed opportunity rather than a complete failure and should suit comedy fans who respond to personality and timing. The combination of Susanne Sachße, Bruce LaBruce and comic timing built around character gives The Misandrists a specific identity. Although explanation repeatedly takes the place of discovery in The Misandrists, the film recovers through craft and committed performance. For the audience it understands, The Misandrists offers enough character to remain worthwhile after the immediate plot has faded.