The storytelling less than magical in “100 Nights of Hero”
“Are you ready? Then we’ll begin.” This narration, over an image of three moons hanging in the sky, begins Julia Jackman’s “100 Nights of Hero,” which she adapted from Isabel Greenberg’s 2016 graphic novel and directed. This means we’re moving toward a heightened, introspective level of fantasy storytelling, and in fact, the revolutionary power of storytelling itself is the beating heart of this film.
Jackman takes his own stylistic approach to “100 Nights of Heroes” without replicating Greenberg’s aesthetic. You can almost immediately tell that this fantasy film has a feminine touch in its colorful, highly stylized, modernist look and sound; there is a certain girlish spirit in the vibrant pink hues and the centering of women’s narratives in the mannered compositions. The setting is an ancient, isolated, cult-like community (vaguely medieval England) that worships its god, Birdman (Richard E. Grant, mostly in cameo), and shapes a patriarchal society around the usual principles: controlling women, producing heirs.
Newlywed Cherry (Maika Monroe) is married to Jerome (Amir El-Masry), and although he claims they are trying for a baby, that is not the case. Too bad she’s the one who will suffer the consequences of not getting pregnant.
Soon, Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine), Jérôme’s handsome friend, arrives and the two men embark on a cruel bet. Manfred spends 100 nights alone at the castle to seduce Cherry while Jérôme is on a business trip. If he fails, he must find a baby for Jerome, who is not interested in sex with women. If Manfred succeeds, he gets the castle. But if Cherry wanders off, she’s suspended. It’s a lose-lose situation for the woman, as expected.
Cherry has one person at her side, Hero (Emma Corrin), her cunning servant, who distracts Manfred from his goal by telling the story of three sisters, who indulge in the “sinful, wicked and absolutely forbidden” (for women) pleasure of reading and writing. One of the sisters, Rosa (Charli XCX), is married to a merchant who soon discovers her “witchcraft”.
Each evening, Hero takes on a new chapter of the three sisters, their story intertwined with that of Cherry and Manfred, as we discover that Hero is part of the League of Secret Storytellers, women who collect stories and weave them into tapestries, their feminine work hiding their true intent as the stories travel from ear to ear.
The questions here are fundamental and basic: the trials and tribulations of sex, marriage, fidelity and procreation. Even though brides are trapped in castles and men in bird masks want to burn witches, this story is not so out of our time and place. The pressure to “produce an heir” persists in current pronatalist arguments and in the discourse of the “traditional wife,” and control of women’s bodies – and minds – is necessary to achieve the goal of producing ever more babies. This tale doesn’t seem that ancient or fantastical at all.
However, there is little nuance in the narrative of “100 Nights of Hero” itself. It sounds a bit like “tween feminism,” a young adult approach to explaining how the liberation of minds is necessary for the liberation of women’s bodies – it’s blunt and obvious, which is to the film’s detriment. There are few gaps to fill or threads we gather ourselves, and its original, opulent aesthetic can only sustain the exercise for so long.
As our interest wanes over the course of this 90-minute modernist fable, Manfred begins to drift away – natural for a folk tale that seeks to decenter men. Unfortunately, Galitzine’s screen presence is simply too powerful to ignore, and we notice his absence. Perhaps it’s because Manfred is so confident, Galitzine’s embodiment of fluid sensuality contrasting sharply with Monroe’s stiff, anxious, breathless performance as Cherry.
The most powerful image in the film, which is made up of interesting images, is that of Galitzine covered in blood as he brings home a freshly killed deer for lunch. If the film is about women discovering their own pleasure and sensuality outside of men, they shouldn’t have made Manfred the most attractive and down-to-earth character on the screen.
While “100 Nights of Hero” features compelling acting and stunning visuals (often best seen in a montage, brought to life by the montage), its tale of the power of storytelling is unfortunately far from compelling. The urgency of the message remains, but the delivery leaves something to be desired.
Katie Walsh is a critic for Tribune News Service.
“100 Nights of Heroes” – 2.5 stars (out of 4)
MPA Rating: PG-13 (for sexual material, some bloody images and language)
Duration: 1h30
How to watch: In theaters December 5
