Trying to be universally different in such an adapting environment is about as impossible as it would be for me to talk about the growing popularity of folk music for the hipster generation, it just isn’t happening. Yet a new film, "The Lobster," from writer and director Yorgos Lanthimos is about just as wholly subversive and as rich an experience as any movie this year could be.
This movie is immaculate.
Lanthimos, in his first directing gig with american actors in the US, has bottled up something quite intriguing that might take some small amount of acclimation to get used to. But once you understand his dry wit sense of humor, his movies can be some of the best gut laughs you may ever have. His latest film, "The Lobster" is...bizarre in the best kind of way imaginable. Picture a small dormant society where you have to be in a partnership with someone in order to function as a successful member and keep prosperity going in the world. Meaning, you need to be married and have a compatible soul mate or else, and this is the best part, you get surgically transformed into an animal..yes you read that correctly. Fortunately for David (Colin Farrell) in his smug mustache and tainted dress shirt, becoming an animal might be a possibility as he is all but left on his own when his wife leaves him, (his brother, who was turned into a dog, lives with him.) There is a silver lining in a nearby hotel that serves as like a demented couples retreat, where you have 48 days to find that “special someone” or else the inevitable happens. When asked what animal he would choose to become David says “ a lobster, because they are fertile their whole lives, have blue blood like artisticrats, and live to be 100 years old” .. also he “really, really loves the sea.” He is told that is a terrific choice as so many choose to become dogs (which is why there is so many of them.) Matthew Goode and John C. Reily (both nail Lanthimos sarcastic undertones) show up as David’s hotel friends that too struggle to conform to the social needs of the hotel. One of them even goes as far to fake injuries to make the cut so he doesn’t become the next animal on the loose.
On the outside, there are rebels that fight against the cause in rain cloaks as they hide about in the forest trying to stop any forces in their way, specifically the hotel guests who are sent to hunt them with tranquilizers everyday (still with me?) It’s a weird story for sure, and only get’s even more submersive when we meet a girl, whose name is literally “short-sighted woman” played by Rachel Weiz that falls in love with David. The ambiguously unique love-story that follows is one of the best I’ve seen since Jim Carrey stole my heart in "Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind," it’s weird for all the right reasons, and sometimes that’s exactly what I need.
The oppressed political commentary that Lanthimos pegs on social conformity is something the is equal parts devilish and intelligent, something that hardly any American filmmakers can capture on the screen today. The film is very cut and dry to the bone, you either will buy into the premise, soak up the humor, and tag along for the ride..or you won’t. I understand upfront that not everyone will be able to accept the weird standards that are presented, let alone deal with the zesty weirdness that is heavily displayed. But the characters are so rich with detail that it makes it so hard not to become invested in the universe. David in particular is a riot and Farrell brings a sense of overwhelming pressure to the character, you can’t help but laugh and feel sorry for the dude at the same time.
The title of "The Lobster" may perhaps be ironic..you maybe thinking “of all the animals, why would he choose that one” but after about the 20 minute mark, that was no longer an issue. "The Lobster" is a rare commodity that asks you to buy into the off-the-beat sense of humor and not only step out of your comfort zone, but embrace the endurance test of something that is original. A
