Julia Jackman’s 100 Nights of Hero is a tale of women storytellers on a sparkling, faraway planet. Cherry (Maika Monroe) lives with her maid, Hero (Emma Corrin), and husband Jerome (Amir El-Masry) in a grand castle (the stunning real-life Knebworth House). In the world they live in, women must get pregnant straight after marrying to produce an heir or face consequences. In Cherry and Jerome’s case, their marriage hasn’t even been consummated, purely down to a lack of adoration from Jerome’s side.
The couple is given 101 nights to finally give the Gods of their planet what they demand, or Cherry will be sentenced to a cruel death. Jerome doesn’t care and insists on going away for a while, leaving Cherry alone with Hero and his close acquaintance Manfred (a striking Nicholas Galitzine). It’s a trap, however, as Jerome has bet the entire castle that Manfred can’t sleep with Cherry whilst he’s gone, as her innocence won’t let her devote any attention to another man. Manfred sees this as an easy challenge, and on night one, asks to see Cherry’s room.
A stacked, talented cast is what makes 100 Nights of Hero a standout. Monroe presents us with an excellent portrayal of a pure soul in her embodiment of Cherry. Every glance and every line is delivered with virtuous innocence. Corrin, too, is magnificent as Hero. Her storytelling is what aids the story along, and without her, the story goes nowhere. But everyone will stop and stare at Galitzine’s Manfred, who is willing to risk everything to finally get his hands on Cherry. It’s one of his best performances to date, coming in hot after his seductive role in The Idea of You (2024).
The period-style costumes, by designer Susie Coulhard, are one of the film’s strong points. It’s a consistent look of sophistication from the ensemble, but Cherry specifically always looks extra elegant and opulent in gold corsets and feather-lined collars. When Manfred isn’t trying to lure Cherry in by taking his top off and going hunting (cue edits of Galitzine topless and covered in blood), he too looks dashing.
Whilst the story seems a little slow at times, it’s justified. You need to take a little breather to stare and take in the impressive planet on which they live. There are gorgeous shots of three moons in the sky, one purple and smaller than the rest, which Hero believes is an incarnation of her grandmother. It’s never explored fully what each of the moons means, but it’s more magical not knowing and being able to come up with your own theories about them. This is maybe what holds the film back slightly, though, as themes and the world itself are often underexplored, especially with the idea that the Gods on the planet rule over all the women.
Hero tells stories to Cherry and Manfred when he’s not sleeping, to keep memories alive. One in particular is the overarching theme throughout, which is a retelling of three sisters, played by Charli xcx, Olivia D’Lima, and Kerena Jagpal, who learned to read and write, and were then sentenced to death when one of their husbands found out. (Charli xcx is a draw to the film, but unfortunately, is underutilized and only appears briefly.) In this world, women aren’t allowed to learn basic skills like reading or writing, and if found out, they will be punished by the Gods.
It’s clear Hero and Cherry have a fondness for each other, but it’s never been explored more than just friendship. They look deeply into each other’s eyes every night as they fall asleep, but Hero is just there to do her job as a maid. It has queer subtext throughout, with revelations revealed towards the end, where Cherry rethinks her relationship with Jerome. Is her spark with Hero more compatible? Or would she risk it all to produce an heir with Manfred instead of her husband?
Overall, 100 Nights of Hero is a success. It could be a little more extravagant with the worldbuilding in terms of visual aspects, like exploring more of the moon or the village where the castle is. That aside, the tasteful costumes and strong acting performances bring the film to many heights.
List Courtesy of Guest Correspondent, Bethany Lola (Find her on Instagram here.)
Feature Image Courtesy of London Film Festival 2025