Fantastic Fest 2015: THE LOBSTER – The Review

Yorgos Lanthimos doesn’t make easily digestible films. His films aren’t meant to be soul-searching soul food or sweet little treats for a date night or light popcorn fare. The Greek arthouse director aims more for the mind than the stomach. Films like ALPS and DOGTOOTH placed Yorgos Lanthimos on the radar of many for his sheer audacity to examine elements of the human experience in absurd and unusual ways. Whether he’s examining the mental effects of death and loss or social constructs surrounding family and education, Yorgos Lanthimos is an anthropologist with a passion for telling stories.

As you can expect, THE LOBSTER continues his study of cultural norms. Even though it’s his English language debut and he’s now working with Hollywood actors, Lanthimos shows no signs of watering down his approach. Colin Farrell plays a recently single man named David. Accompanied by his brother, David enters The Hotel and has 45 days to find a suitable companion to live the rest of his days. If after 45 days David does not find a partner, then he is turned into an animal of his choosing and sent out into the wild. This might now be a good time to explain that David’s brother is actually a dog.

Although it comes across as a dystopian future, the world in which the film takes place doesn’t seem out of this world. Considering how many commercials I see on TV for Match.com and Okcupid.com and other dating sites, there’s clearly a trend to move singles into a “happier” more “acceptable” way of life. The future doesn’t seem that far off. THE LOBSTER is ultimately a dark comedy that cuts into the center of society’s need for companionship. As evident by the simply named Hotel in the simply named CIty, this world is one that’s not meant to have unique characteristics or any form of imagination. In one forced relationship in The Hotel, “The Limping Man” (Ben Whishaw) continuously forces his nose to bleed on his dates with another woman he likes because she suffers from random nose-bleeds. It’s this look at how individuals connect with one another on a superficial level that makes THE LOBSTER a searing critique of our desire to find a mate akin to our “public self.”

The first half of the film takes place entirely in The Hotel. Lanthimos injects a large amount of absurd humor into these scenes at the cost of his emotionless and lifeless characters. Colin Farrell doesn’t break a smile even once as he interacts with the other guests – one of which is John C. Reilly, continuing his sad sack streak on film, but this time turning it up even more with an unfortunate speech impediment. It isn’t until the second half of the film where we’re introduced to another group of outsiders living on the run outside The City that we see that Lanthimos is not just critiquing the antiquated civilians, but also the rebellious fringe communities. A scene where he describes the music the outsiders listen to and how they dance practically made me howl with laughter.

THE LOBSTER shows that expectations and norms are put in place in every society. Any time a group of individuals with specifics characteristics come together, regardless if the intentions are good or not, they eventually melt into one entity – what made them unique becomes common. This is evident even in the outsider group. It’s the second half of the film that will test audiences the most. Humor is replaced more with heart, while still maintaining Lanthimos’ extra dry approach. Even though the tone is consistent with his other films, the air in THE LOBSTER is unchanged from start to finish and becomes a stifling – its dreary tone becomes a little repetitious after two hours.

By the end of THE LOBSTER you will appreciate the special relationships you have in your life; the relationships that can’t be classified; the little quirks you share with someone that only the two of you know about; the loving memories that can only be gained through real experiences. You can’t simply explain the complexities of a relationship through a couple of shared traits. THE LOBSTER as a film is similar in this way – it’s hard to explain its complexities in a few paragraphs. There are rich ideas at work, that aren’t easy necessarily easy to embrace. It’ll take some time for me to fully accept it all, but it’s a relationship that I’m willing to take some time with and develop over the years.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5