Weird and enthralling, though perhaps a bit predictable, the new fantasy fairytale-esque 100 Nights of Hero is an enjoyable watch filled with excellent chemistry and tension. Adapted from Isabel Greenberg’s acclaimed graphic novel of the same title, the film throws the audience into a magical, medieval world where the sexist ideals of creator god Birdman (Richard E. Grant) are followed harshly and with little exception.
The centre conflict of the films lies between four members of the land. Jerome (Amir El-Masry) has been ordered that he has 101 nights to impregnate his wife Cherry (Maika Monroe) or she will die. The boorish man wants little to do with his wife and, as we learn, has yet to even consummate their marriage. When his hunky, womanizer friend Manfried (Nicholas Galitzine) comes knocking and brags that he would be able to seduce Cherry, Jerome makes an odd and intriguing gamble: he will give Manfred 100 nights alone with Cherry in the castle. If he manages to seduce her while Jerome is away, Manfred wins both Cherry and Jerome’s castle. If he does not, Jerome wins Manfred’s caste.
But the beauty and strong performances can’t hide the little nuance of the narrative, something that ultimately hinders the film.
Neither outcome looks good for Cherry, a youthful and innocent girl who has no idea that Jermone has already sacrificed her life in more ways than one. But what neither of the men account for of course is Cherry’s loyal friend and cunning maid Hero (Emma Corrin) who also has a strong claim to her heart. The chemistry between Corrin, Galazinte, and Monroe is delectable, and arguably the strongest scenes in the film are whenever the trio are in a room together.
The film is beautifully shot, scored, and dressed. Oliver Coates’ (who also made the soundtrack for Aftersun) soundtrack brilliantly adds to the fantasy world and helps carry the narrative when the dialogue struggles. The bold and wacky costumes could easily be scene stealers, if the cast weren’t so up for the task. But the beauty and strong performances can’t hide the little nuance of the narrative, something that ultimately hinders the film.
The underlying themes and messages are hardly subtle, with the men being outwardly awful and a fairly simple feminist narrative occurring. This lack of subtlety and surprise is a fault of the narrative that ultimately underscores the whole film. The way gender, power, love, and lust are played with is intriguing but 100 Nights of Hero fails to build on the many opportunities to make the story more captivating. With a magnetic cast, captivating score, and bold costumes it’s almost ironic that the one place where the film needs to take more of a risk is with the narrative and script itself.
If anything, my frustration for the movie comes from the fact that I enjoyed some moments so much. Charli XCX’s surprise cameo was the best performance I’ve seen from the singer so far, the abrasiveness and cockiness of Manfred and Jerome’s boys’ talk left my mouth wide open, and the goofy humour of the castle guards had me utterly charmed. And so by the time the credits rolled and blasted ‘Only Alive’ by Purity Ring, despite being frustratingly surface level, 100 Nights of Hero had certainly captivated me.
“Emma Corrin” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.