Movie Review: The Misandrists - A Cult Classic in the Making

Genre: Drama
Director: Bruce LaBruce
Cast: Kita Updike, Olivia Kundisch, Til Schindler, and Susanne Sachsse
Studio: Cartilage Films
Runtime: 91 minutes

Release Date: Opens May 25 with a weeklong run in New York City at the Village East Cinema. Opens June 1 in Los Angeles at the Nuart Theatre. The Misandrists will then continue to open throughout Pride Month in Washington DC, Austin, New Orleans, Seattle, Denver, Philadelphia, Cleveland and more.

Rated: Not Rated

Rating: ★★★★★

I can guarantee you one thing: You have never seen a film quite like The Misandrists. Even as I’m writing this review, I’m still not quite sure what to make of what I just witnessed. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s get into the set-up for The Misandrists.

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Til Schindler As Volker

Directed by Bruce LaBruce, the film follows a school for wayward girls that’s spearheaded by a woman simply called Big Mother (Susanne Sachsse). Little does Big Mother know, one of the girls, Isolde (Kita Updike), has hidden the injured Volker (Til Schindler) in the basement of the school so she can nurse him back to health. Nor does Volker know that the school is a front for Big Mother’s feminist terrorist group, the Female Liberation Army, or FLA for short. Their goal is to fight the patriarchy, by any means necessary.

The Misandrists is an odd specimen of a film but not just because of its plot. It is highly original, to say the least, and tonally, goes from one extreme to another. For example, there are scenes of scathing satire about issues such as gender and gender equality, as well as elements of a psychological thriller and moments of graphic sexploitation. But what’s even odder is that this combination leads to what is possibly one of the best films of this year. Put simply, I love The Misandrists and here’s why.

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FLA members partake in a pillow fight.

LaBruce’s script is absurdly bizarre, yet incredibly smart. It’s totally raunchy and equally cheesy at times, but that somehow works in the film’s favor. Every line oozes with cynicism and the humor sprinkled throughout The Misandrists is delightfully mean-spirited. But it never feels one-sided despite the plot’s premise. The dialogue plays up the fear people have of feminism while also showing how ridiculous it is when you take your ideals to such an extreme that you turn into a cult. This is perfectly illustrated with the FLA’s mantra: “Blessed be the goddess who made me not a man.”

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Susanne Sachsse as Big Mother

It is easy to see how meticulously calculated LaBruce’s direction is. The Misandrists gradually builds on the conflicts and arcs of the characters. He slowly peels back the layers, keeping you on edge wondering what will happen next, which leads to one explosive final act. It will leave you speechless.

The cinematography is fantastic as well. Director of photography James Carman utilizes frequent close-ups of the characters, sometimes having their faces take up the entire frame, making some scenes both off-putting and transfixing. These moments feel more personal as we see every emotion on each character’s face.

Ultimately, none of this would work if the actors weren’t up to snuff and thankfully they are. Just like the bizarre script, their performances are equally weird. All of them come across as wooden and while usually this is a flaw, it feels deliberate here. Oddly enough, though, it works. It fits with the sort of B-movie tone LaBruce is going with and adds a surprising amount of depth to the characters. Updike as Isolde, whom most of the film centers around, is quite charming, playing her character with a sense of naivety. Isolde is dedicated to the cause of the FLA even if she isn’t entirely sure she agrees with the group. Updike sells her character’s internal struggle realistically all while delivering her lines in a cheesy fashion. The scene stealer, however, is Sachsse as Big Mother; she is joyfully cruel in her performance, delivering each line as if she were a dictator.

It goes without saying The Misandrists isn’t for everyone. Some will take one look at the plot and dismiss it outright, and others will be turned off by its crass nature and graphic sex scenes. Some might also find the seemingly random directing choices, such as obvious uses of stock footage in key moments and a very random dance scene, as out of place or tonally inconsistent. But again, all of this works in the film’s favor. These choices are subversive and constantly feel fresh and original.

If you’re open to watching something that’s completely different than everything else that’s out right now, see The Misandrists. If you’re the easily offended type, see The Misandrists anyway and live a little.

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Dustin Kogler

Professional amateur movie watcher. Dustin is a laid-back nerd who loves discussing pop culture. He loves listening to 80s music, playing video games and watching netflix all day. He's pretty sarcastic and if you tell him your favorite movie he can tell you why you're wrong.