The Lobster (2015)
Buy The Lobster
Written by: Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthymis Filippou
Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, John C. Reilly, Jessica Barden
Rated: R
Plot:
In this dystopian world, single people must find a partner or be turned into beasts and cast into the woods.
Verdict:
This
is such an utterly strange and creative film. It tackles companionship
and society in such a surreal yet fascinating way. While I think it may turn off many
people, it's a very good film that expands the boundaries of what a
movie can do. It's worth watching as it may be unlike anything you'll
ever see. The concept and execution is just bonkers in a good way.
Watch it.
Review:
I have only read about Lanthimos's other popular movie Dogtooth (2009), but it sounds just as odd and surreal as The Lobster.
The Lobster
generates many more questions than it answers, but these question are
secondary to the theme of the movie and don't hinder it. This is about
companionship, relationships, and how society forces you to find a mate.
Our society expects everyone to find a significant other, and in this
movie you're forced to find a mate or be turned into an animal. Not only
that, you and your mate must share a defining characteristic. You must
both have a lisp, limp, or need glasses. Finding a partner isn't a fun
exploration, it's a mandatory exercise.
David (Colin
Farrell) is newly single and forced to live in a hotel for single
people. He has forty five days to find a mate or he'll be turned into an
animal of his choosing. If you find a mate you go through a trial
period before returning to the city that's just for couples. If you and
your partner face any struggles in the partnership, you've provided with
a child.
The hotel's program is a strange
indoctrination as to why couples are better. Events and skits are
created around this idea. If you don't have a mate you'll choke to
death, but a partner could give you the Heimlich and save you. If you
don't find a mate, your life is ended.
Humans are
social creatures. Most people want to find a partner, but in this movie
your life depends on it. Despite the desperate situation, everyone is
subdued. There is very little emotion showcased in this movie. The
dialog is delivered clinically with no inflection. As strange as it is
to see and hear, it fits the tone of this movie. This world is devoid of
emotion, and why wouldn't it be? Life depends on ascribing to inane
rules. All of these things combine to create a strange experience. The
music in every scene accentuates this unsettling feeling. Forcing people
to partner takes the emotion out of a relationship. It's an intriguing
vision of taking a societal constraint to eleven.
The
threat of being turned into a creature isn't shown. We don't know if
people retain their consciousness or how such a procedure is even
performed, but it doesn't matter. The how is briefly discussed and we do
see the after of such a procedure, albeit from a distance. It would be
difficult to apply science to this, and the movie smartly doesn't try to
delve into it.
David manages to escape the hotel and
its stringent rules, but finds that the people that have rejected
society have just as many rules. No matter what life you lead, you have
to follow arbitrary rules. This is a fantastic view of society, where
you're constrained no matter what you do. Even free of the hotel, David
is still subconsciously constrained by their rules, that or he knows
that to renter society he has to find a partner with a shared
commonality.
The movie is well crafted, and creates a
great atmosphere. Lanthimos poses great questions about society and why
such importance is placed on finding a significant other. This is a
strange movie, but not so much that it's hard to understand or
off-putting. It's a cohesive experience.
Sunday, August 14, 2016
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