Manodrome

Whether coincidence or deliberately planned product placement to correspond with Berlinale’s new sponsor, Uber, an equally surprising choice in the festival’s competition stars a young man working for the controversial ride share company.

Ralphie (Jesse Eisenberg) and his girlfriend are reluctantly expecting their first child. Not only does he struggle with the fact that he never had a father to pave the way; the recent loss of permanent employment also adds to the enormous pressure weighing on him. His only outlet is obsessive workout sessions at the gym – until a fellow member introduces him to an exceptional support group for men: the Manodrome.

It’s South African director John Trengove’s second time in Berlin (his feature debut film The Wound was presented in the 2017 edition’s Panorama section) and already his is the one of the most anticipated titles in the race for the Golden Bear, largely due to its star power. In addition to Adrien Brody shining as the cult’s charismatic leader, Dad Dan, Odessa Young and Riley Keough are members of the supporting cast. Headliner Eisenberg is at a histrionic peak, with the most eclectic realisation of a character since his breakout performance in The Social Network.

Themes dissecting and redefining masculinity are revenant at this year’s festival, Manodrome being one of the more interesting works to do so in its psychological focus on the burdensome legacy of unwanted fatherhood as inheritable trauma, and the way this can facilitate the radicalisation of young men.

Due to its thorough composition and aura of resounding threat, there is a bow-taut surface tension that functions as the irrefutable strength of this film. Always bracing for the maximum damage in any given situation, the audience flinches at every loud noise and barely remembers to breathe.

There are some dramatic choices that ultimately feel settled-for, and occasionally unsatisfactory turns on the road, but, not unlike getting into a stranger’s car, a wild ride like this one proves that the journey can be its own reward.

Selina Sondermann

Manodrome does not have a UK release date yet.

Read more reviews from our Berlin Film Festival 2023 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Berlin Film Festival website here.

Watch a clip from Manodrome here: