100 Nights of Hero

On 19^th October, Julia Jackman’s 100 Nights of Hero brought the 69^th BFI London Film Festival to a close. 100 Nights of Hero can be seen as an eccentric and colourful fantasy film that attempts to transform the classic Scheherazade framework into a feminist fable. Based on the graphic novel by Isabel Greenberg, the film is set in a patriarchal, vaguely medieval world ruled by the bird-masked cult of a god named “Birdman”.  In this world, women are forbidden to read and are valued primarily for their ability to produce male heirs. 

The story centres around two women inside a sprawling, kitsch castle: Cherry (Maika Monroe), the unhappily married noblewoman, and Hero (Emma Corrin), her devoted maid and best friend. Cherry’s neglectful husband, Jerome (Amir El-Masry), foolishly makes a bet with his handsome but predatory friend, Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine), who was recently cheated on by his ex-wife: Manfred must seduce Cherry within 100 nights while Jerome is away. As Cherry’s confidante, Hero steps in utilising her secret talent – storytelling – to derail Manfred’s advances by spinning an elaborate and captivating tale of the “Dancing Stones”. This tale consists of Rosa the Curious (Charli xcx) and her two sisters, becoming the nested story that drives the central plot forward. 

Classic Scheherazade framework into a feminist fable.

Visually, 100 Nights of Hero is a maximalist feast. Jackman creates a dazzling, highly stylised world with high-fashion costumes and production design that demands attention from the audience. Avant-garde pieces are placed onto characters in a medieval setting to create a deliberate sense of jarring, witty artificiality. However, for all its visual genius, the film struggles to maintain a similar level of narrative substance and emotional depth. 

Throughout the festival, movies often have seemed to struggle finding the right balance between thematic clarity and subtle cinematic execution. For 100 Nights of Hero, the primary critique lies in the film’s explicit messaging. For example, the recurring motif that women reading and writing is “witchcraft” is not merely established – it is repeated through dialogue and narrative signalling (such as children singing songs about the punishments of “Janet the Barren” or “Sara the Unfaithful”), hammering the point home until the satire loses its necessary edge. What should feel like nuanced social commentary ends up feeling like an argument presented in capital letters, leaving little room for the audience to interpret such thematic lessons organically. 

Ultimately, 100 Nights of Hero is a bold and unique contribution to modern fantasy cinema. In many ways, however, the film presents itself almost like a children’s storybook, missing out on its full potential. 

Fantasy/Romance

Director: Julia Jackman

Starring: Emma Corrin, Nicholas Galitzine, Maika Monroe, Charli xcx, Felicity Jones

Run time: 90 min

Release date: January 2025