The film is dark humoured, satiric and mocking mirror of society reflecting on human's obsession to fit in certain rules of society, despite how ridiculous they are. We step on our primary feelings and ignore our instincts just to play by the rules, to belong. And even it was the clear theme of being obsessed with being in a couple, I see it as a bigger reflection of society. After the main character runs into the woods, where he finds rebels of coupling, it's clear that they are as extreme as the hotel people. It looks like it's shown that people have to belong to survive, but options are limited and you have to obey, pretend or risk to be destroyed. Various examples of dysfunctional relationships are shown in the film, which looks so familiar – pretending to have something in common, pretending that you understand that you are the same. Desperation, rejection, cruelty in the relationships – we have seen and know it all, but director found the way to remind it with a lighter tone, with the possibility to laugh at ourselves and society. All the characters acted and talked in the same hyper-polite manner – that's what we do, so often we dance around difficult and extreme situations with our repressed feelings. And despite how similar everyone talked, with the same tone and politeness, we can see through that and find individuality of the characters, and it shows that we are more than just rules, etiquette
The obsession to have something in common with you partner reached the peek at the end. It looked like even David and blind women are still in love, but a realisation that in society norms they don't have anything real in common drives to an extreme decision. It shows that we sacrifice so much if we love someone different, and all just to be more acceptable in the society, but at the end society doesn't care, so do we just have to be braver? This film makes more think than feel. The audience who is used to relate to the characters might find it difficult, as even the main character is not very lovable, he is a week and very human in other words. It's not a 'feel good' film but not miserablism, it's smart and innovative reminder
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vbrt011717 October 2015
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Amadio13 February 2016The Lobster is a curious film with shades of the Coen Brothers or Grand Hotel Budapest (the fact that so much is set in a hotel is incidental, or hotels in movies are places to be avoided). Dysfunctional characters drift through, delivering their lines with humorous lack of awareness and emotion, strange rituals are performed to bond the guests, and all the time the clock is ticking - find a partner, become a couple, within 45 days or be turned into an animal of your choice.
The first part of the film is amusing, quirky and entertaining. The style is pleasant and interesting, despite some nasty moments. Some of the shots drag a little, but it adds to the curious atmosphere. The dry, deadpan dialogue is perfectly delivered, Colin Farrell as the main protagonist shows he really is a fine actor.
Then the film changes. New characters are introduced and the mood becomes much bleaker. No longer is this humorous, the stakes have changed. It is hard to identify with the new characters as we had already invested emotion in the earlier ones. And it gets worse, leading to en ending that is as unclear as it is unpleasant.
The Lobster cannot seem to make up its mind what kind of a film it is, is it simply saying that we are all venal and craven in the end? If so, why the humour at the beginning? And if we are capable of love, is it really so shallow as to be broken by people saying things?
I loved the beginning, I didn't like the end. This was one fish dish that left a bad taste. -
Prismark1028 September 2019The Lobster is an absurdist black comedy with a deadpan narration. It is set in a Dystopian world where being single can turn you into an animal.
Yorgos Lanthimos examines both politics and sexual politics. It is an interesting take on the pressure society puts on people to have a companion and the pitfalls of political factions. In some ways this is George Orwell mixed with Monty Python. A kind of modern day Brazil, the movie directed by Terry Gilliam.
David (Colin Farrell) arrives in a hotel after his wife has left him. The newly arrived guests have 45 days to find a partner or be turned into an animal. David chooses to be a lobster if he fails to find a suitable relationship.
The hotel has strange rules such as forbidding masturbation which can lead to harsh punishment. Guests are encouraged to partner up by attending dances and finding partners who they share something in common with.
When David escapes the hotel and heads for the woods. He enters a commune for committed singles who want to be independent but they also have strange and eccentric rules. This includes dancing on their own to electric music and digging your own grave.
In the forest David finds romance with a short sighted woman (Rachel Weisz) which is forbidden.
The Lobster cannot maintain its offbeat premise. It runs out of gas and just wants to be eccentric for the sake of it. The (deliberate) flat performances and narration soon becomes tiring and its originality fades once David escapes from the hotel. -
bob the moo29 March 2017I had heard reviews of The Lobster and, while sounding interesting, it also sounded odd enough to delay me in getting round to seeing it. Like many have said, the plot is weird; single people are sent to a hotel and given a period of time to find a match or else they will be turned into the creature of their choosing and released to the wild. Those struggling can add days to their stay by being successful on hunts for those singles who have broken free and live as collective individuals in the woods.
The concept is cleverly constructed so that it is weirdly convincing despite its utter absurdity. Within this the film satirizes relationships, singles – in particular the extremes of those two situations. The push for companionship, with its common ground, and its rituals, and the digs at elements of life such as children distracting from conflict. Perhaps it hit a bit too close to home with its regimented rituals, and awkward neediness. On the other side the extreme version of singlehood is also dug at once we are in the woods. It is not as clever as some would tell you, nor as smart, but it is certainly interesting, darkly funny, and pretty engaging throughout. It doesn't pull it off totally, but I enjoyed it from start to finish – its oddity runs through from the ideas, the performances, down into the specific dialogue. Having such a great cast helps, but the tightness of creative vision throughout is what holds it all together. As odd and slightly unsuccessful as it is, it is still well worth watching. -
themadmovieman18 October 2015There's no chance that you'll see a film as weird as The Lobster this whole year. In what is effectively an indie art-house piece, you get a completely insane and almost unfathomable world filled with more and more absurdities everywhere you look. However, it's such an incredibly unique and eye-catching film that it's still hugely engrossing and surprisingly entertaining to watch.
The story centres around one man, played by Colin Farrell, as he attempts to find a partner as a part of this bizarre system. The first act revolves around his time in 'The Hotel', and is not only hugely odd, but both dramatic and unnerving as well as hilarious to watch, featuring some of the best dark comedy written in years.
The film takes its story as seriously as any drama, and you feel that through the deeply disturbing atmosphere that emerges off the screen. However, as the film is just so weird, it eases you into the oddness of it all very impressively through the use of humour, something that more pretentious art-house films fail to do, and are resultantly a lot harder to really get into.
So, you'll definitely be laughing a lot, if not in a more disturbed than hugely entertained manner, throughout the first act, and by the end of it, you'll surely be as used as you can be to the incredibly weird feel of this whole film.
Just to give you an idea of how unorthodox this film is, every scene is full of awkward silences, the actors speak as if they're reading off of cue cards with no emotion whatsoever, the imagery is very ugly and unpleasant to look at right the way through, and the incredible slow pace of it all means that the film feels like it goes on for about five times as long as it actually does.
And yet, I still can't get around the fact that this is a brilliant film. Mainly, it's the fact that it's just so unique and almost shockingly bizarre, but it's just filled with so many captivating ideas that it's impossible not to be fully drawn into this insane story.
So, the performances, the directing, the writing, and pretty much everything is stunning, apart from one big issue that prevents this from being a truly incredible film. Following the end of the first act, the film does lose its way quite a lot, taking almost too big a leap into an even stranger abyss than you ever imagined at the beginning, and, with a little less humour in the latter stages, isn't as easy to watch as the first act had been.
However, it does pick up again towards a terrifying and as bizarre as ever conclusion, and that's why I'm going to give The Lobster a 9 out of 10, but I must warn you that if you feel you can't cope with this film for longer than the first twenty minutes, then it's not for you. This is definitely a cult film for the ages, but won't be a big hit with general audiences. -
DarraghQ2 April 2016The film's concept: all adults who have recently lost a partner through death or divorce are sent to a hotel, where if they do not fall in love within 45 days, they are surgically transformed into an animal of their choosing. ''A lobster's a great choice''.
I try not to explain the film's plot when somebody asks, so as not to completely dissuade them from viewing. Maybe this ridiculous concept is in reference to how ridiculous forcing someone to fall in love due to common interests is, or even just forcing someone to eventually get married, a practice common in the modern world. A comment on the societal pressures put on single adults. There are constant references and reminders to how even numbers are perfect, a couple. There is a further commentary on applying limiting labels and boxes to people, bisexual not being an option on the sexuality question, no half-sized shoes.
Collin Farrell and Rachel Weisz, along with the many minor characters, all add to the film greatly. There are no weak actors which I could point out. The screen writing can be fast and witty at times, but I felt the ''quirkiness'' was definitely overdone. The robotic and monotonous speech pattern was generally funny but also overdone.
I have spoken to many people who do not enjoy this film, and I can definitely respect and understand their opinion. The Lobster is not for everyone, with it's strange plot, writing and imagery. It's script is similar to that of a Wes Anderson film, but still remains very dark, and at times, disturbing. It is without a doubt, a slow film, heavily reliant on dialogue (which many people won't even find funny).
I would recommend the film to people who enjoy quirky films such as Frank, Juno or The Grand Budapest Hotel, although The Lobster is definitely darker than those examples.
Probably one of the strangest film I've ever watched. -
Albert_Orr31 July 2015The Lobster is a surreal deadpan comedy about the strangeness of social pressures and modern relationships.
The setting is a bleak, tightly controlled hotel on the coast of Ireland. David (Colin Farrell), a recently divorced Architect, is given 40 days to find a partner or else be transformed into an animal of his choosing; in this case, a lobster. Sound strange? That's just the first 10 minutes. Guests of the hotel are subjected to routine trips to shoot 'loners' with tranquillisers, and awkward high-school dances to entice singles to mingle. As David's days start running out, he decides to feign common interest with a heartless woman in order to escape his fate. But can he pull it off?
Farrell really hits the mark with this role, displaying awkward machismo and fragile humility in equal measure. His comedic timing is matched only by his supporting cast that includes John C. Reilly, Ashley Jensen, and Olivia Coleman. Rachel Weisz is also spot-on as the short-sighted woman.
The Lobster has just about everything you'd want from a film. It's unpredictable, it's offbeat, and it's laugh-out-loud funny. But it's most impressive feature is the subtext - it manages to reflect how odd our own modern-day social pressures are. How loneliness is feared, how individuality loses out to the mainstream system, and how relationships have to be deemed 'legitimate' by some higher order. There's plenty to talk about with this film, and I'll definitely be seeing it again to delve a little deeper.... -
Xstal6 January 2023There are rules that you must follow every day, quite contradictory, depending where you stay, some encourage you to mingle, others like you to stay single, contravention has a hefty price to pay. No evidence exists for these directions, though they're pursued by folk with little hesitation, but occasionally you'll see, someone escape and run and flee, as they wish to play, by other regulations.
A wonderful piece of filmmaking, that perfectly captures the often ridiculous actions, activities and exertions we all undertake, to a certain degree, in order to comply with the beliefs that are indoctrinated into us from a very early age and, if you're lucky, able to wash away, as the pretence is discovered and replaced by those carefully recrafted by yourself. -
Cjalln118 October 2015"The Lobster" takes the tropes and expectations of modern-day relationships and satirises them almost out of existence. The farcical "Hotel" aims to partner 'loner' humans with each other (based on 1 characteristic) in a stress-inducing timeframe of 45 days, often resulting in deception and the suppression of true feelings in order to garner a relationship as a means of escape. The other side of the coin is the outcast tribe living a meagre existence in the woods, where even flirting is punished with physical mutilation. The cold mechanical delivery of every single character's lines emphasises the absurdity of the situation, and bizarrely makes the jokes even funnier. Not since Richard Ayoade's "The Double" has cripplingly awkward humour been so effective. This film has a lot to say about the fickle nature of relationships, set against the background of a dystopian society. The cinematography is as flat as the actors' delivery; this contributes to the emotionally-stunted, often silent world that the characters inhabit. The ending is beautifully ambiguous and surprisingly tense for such an understated scene. A score which fluctuates from terse, rough string melodies to Italian opera heightens the sense of weird-art-film which pervades "The Lobster": definitely a film which requires full attention, reflection, and a mind open to arty weirdness, "The Lobster" is a remarkable oddity.
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bob-the-movie-man23 October 2015(Note that this contains a mild spoiler in the final paragraph to flag up a potentially upsetting scene for some viewers).
I can only hope that the creators of "The Lobster" – Greek writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos and his co-writer Efthymis Filippou – find treatment at a good rehabilitation clinic: a black and disturbing comedy, it can only be the creation of medically warped minds.
David (Colin Farrell) checks into a remote Irish hotel with his brother Bob. Bob is a collie dog. Bob unfortunately had a previous failed trip to said hotel, having been single and unable to find love within the 45 days required of the hotel management. So they turned him into a dog. Such is the fate of every 'guest' at the hotel, 'checked in' by security staff when individuals fail to produce the necessary 'couple' certificate and have to face the consequences. This is a highly dystopian future: think "Never Let Me Go" without the benefit of viable organs. The good news is that you can choose what animal you want to be transformed into. Dave's choice is a lobster because they have blue blood (curiously, my favorite trivia question), they live for 100 years and maintain their fertility throughout their life.
It becomes clear that all of the hotel guests are basically a set of dysfunctional folks, many of which would be left sitting at the back in the local disco. 'Love' is perceived as finding something – anything – in common with the other person. Find love, and you get a double room, an assigned child, and a yacht to stay on. Fail and pet food awaits.
There is a choice though. You can run away to the woods and be a singleton. But no sex; no heavy petting; or indeed any flirting of any sort is allowed. Else the 'red kiss' or – worse – the 'red intercourse' fate awaits.
This is a film that rather defies conventional definition. It is like the bastard child of "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and "Under the Skin". Yet it is portrayed, via extensive media advertising, as a mainstream film. It is far from it, and I fear that a lot of audiences will be bemused, shocked and disturbed in equal measure by this film.
But is it any good?
The first half is a delight. A warped "Fawlty Towers-esque" vision of farcical proportions, with hotel manager Olivia Coleman (brilliant as always) viciously applying toaster-based punishment to lisping but masturbating resident John C Reilly ("Star Trek TNG", "Chicago"). And desperate biscuit-lover Ashley Jensen ("Extras") throws herself with comic effect at our hero, offering every sexual option possible as bait. Outstanding is Ben Whishaw (AGAIN is October a Ben Whishaw season?) as a guy with a bit of a limp, falling for nosebleed girl (a delightful Jessica Barden from "Far from the Madding Crowd"). At last, with Ben Whishaw and John C Reilly we have a mano-a-mano fight to equal Grant vs Firth in "Bridget Jones"!
There are some laugh out loud moments in this segment: John C Reilly wants to be a parrot and Whishaw berates him – "With that lisp, you want to be one of the only animals that can speak??".
Unfortunately, this comedy rather goes off the rails in a gratuitously over-long final section. In the same way as you never wanted to see tents again in "Three go mad camping" (aka "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1") we spend what seems like forever locked in the woods with the singletons led by Léa Seydoux (soon to be seen with Whishaw in "Spectre") and David's new love interest the 'Short sighted woman" (Rachel Weisz, married to Daniel Craig soon to be seen in "Spectre").
While this segment is enlivened by the occasional appearance of 'ex-humans', it is generally dull and dark enough to drive all of the comic momentum out of the film. The story eventually stutters to – for me – a rather unsatisfactory ending which is not for the squeamish. (No spoilers, but a similar ending to a 1963 Ray Milland film left me permanently scarred as a youngster).
In summary this is quite a random art house film with a clever premise that that was firmly in the 8* category for the first half, but out-stays its welcome by about 30 minutes. I predict that – like "Under the Skin" – it will attract lovers and haters in almost equal measure. A clear winner is likely to be the Parknasilla Hotel in Sneem, County Kerry which looks a delightful place to spend a romantic weekend away.
N.B. Animal lovers, particularly dog lovers, need to be warned that there are a few truly upsetting scenes in this film – one in particular that made members of the cinema audience audibly cry out in disgust. You have been warned.
(For the graphical version of this review please visit bob-the-movie-man.com and enter your email to receive future reviews). -
Daviteo1 February 2017Contains spoilers.
First, I'm a fan of quirky films, indie movies, and stuff that's generally non- mainstream (in addition to regular mainstream stuff like Star Wars or whatnot), so I was curious about this film from the trailer.
I get that this film is a satire about finding true love, including a host of other interesting ethical questions, but in doing so it tries to be as off-putting as possible, as if to say "only smart people will make it through this film." In essence, it's a pompous movie. I've seen plenty of smart, challenging films that don't insult the audience by showing how smart the director or writer is.
From the get go, you're going to be watching long-takes, which is fine, I love well-composed shots, except the shots and cinematography in this film are not particularly interesting nor well-composed.
You're also going to have to sit through a first hour of dialogue that's delivered so stilted (for the sake of satire) you'll wonder how these A-List actors could possibly be in a film that's acted worse than your first-grader's play.
The film opens up a little after the halfway point and becomes more human, but it took everything for me to make it through that first hour. I'm just riffing here, but every line sounds and is delivered about as thinly as it's written below:
"Would you like to have some tea?"
Awkward pause.
"Yes. I think I would like to have some tea. Thank you. That is very nice."
"You are welcome. I'm glad I can give you some tea that will make you happy."
"That is a very nice thing of you to say to me. I will remember that you are a kind person."
"At the hotel, here, we all try to be kind to each other. For if you do not have kindness, what else do you have."
Awkward pause.
"Yes ..."
Awkward pause.
"... That is true. Okay. Then. I think it will be good if we kiss now."
"Very well. How would you like your kiss?"
"I think on the lips. Thank you."
Awkward pause. They kiss for ten seconds.
"It was nice to kiss you."
"You are welcome. I will go now."
"Okay."
It was nearly impossible for me to make it through the first act, let alone the first half film. The writer and director were trying to be too smart for their own good and in turn try their best to alienate the viewers to show their intelligence. I love smart movies, just not ones that purposefully try to tick me off as a mode of emotional engagement. -
In a world where staying single is a breach of acceptable social norms, single people are isolated in a hotel and forced to find a partner in 45 days otherwise they will be turned into an animal of their choosing. People who somehow manage to escape to the woods are called 'loners' and are occasionally hunted by the hotel dwellers. An incongruous story that must have made Kafka dance in his grave, not only because it breaks away from logic but because it takes the absurd to a new level of significance. The Lobster has all elements of absurdist fiction – dark humor, irrationality, and cynicism, add to that a lurking social criticism that hits your mind and soul hard. The narrative is constructed in a way that lures you into giving up all your logical defenses after the first few minutes and totally surrender to the surreality of events. I truly envy writer and director Yorgos Lanthimos for having a mind that can come up with such twisted and brilliant stories.
If you have to choose between pretending to have feelings when you don't and pretending not to have feelings when you do, which would you prefer? This seems to be the kernel question of the film. The hotel dwellers are forced to pretend they have feelings for people in order to avoid being turned into animals. On the other hand, the loners are banned from showing feelings for each other even if they do. This absurd conundrum levels harsh criticism against a society that advocates binary opposition, an inherent concept that has become part and parcel of the human belief system of love and relationships as well. From the beginning of the film, it is made clear that there are no gray areas in this world; you're either heterosexual or homosexual, a size 44 or a size 45. It might not be that severe in the real world, but emotional extremism is just as bad. If you are in a relationship, you are expected to love to the fullest, and if you appreciate isolation and individuality, you are stigmatized as a heartless loner all the way through. Whatever you choose, you have to bend your personality or change something in yourself to fit in either group. In the film, this forced appropriation takes an emotional and a physical form, and it keeps you wondering which leaves more permanent scars, emotional or physical transformation? The story disparages a society that fails to acknowledge the paradoxical human condition – humans need company, yet they are innately loners; they love other people, yet they love themselves more; they have feelings, yet feelings are not meant to last forever; they are spiritual, yet predominantly physical. A world that fails to recognize this complexity is a pathetic, oppressive place.
As usual, Lanthimos' script is funny, iaconic and strikingly smart; all the dialogues are meaningful despite their seeming absurdity, and the scenes are meticulously written to contribute to the intricate world of the story and its underlying intended significance. One of my favorite scenes in the film is when the hotel manager (Olivia Colman) visits David (Colin Farrell) in his room and tells him that he has to carefully choose the animal he wants to turn into because, as an animal, he won't be able to have a sexual relationship with an animal of a different species, something that he can't already do as a human being since he has to find a 'matching' partner. The whole conversation is very humorous and absurd, and the joke continues as we see how people strive hard to find matching qualities in their partners including nosebleeds, limps, good voice, shortsightedness and lack of emotions. An extremely elaborate and cunning joke that deconstructs the myth of soulmate.
I think the acting is great and one of the main sources of dark humor and irony in the film. Imagine a story about love and relationships where actors don't show a single hint of emotions and talk and walk like constipated corpses most of the time. Martin McDonagh has already rediscovered Colin Farrell as a comedian in In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths and it is always nice to see another director picking up on that streak. Ben Whishaw and Aggeliki Papoulia are notably spectacular.
As if it isn't enough for Lanthimos to subvert storytelling and acting norms, he seems to play with artistic trends too. If you are familiar with the Lars von Trier's cinematographic experimentation (Antichrist and Melancholia in particular), you will see how Lanthimos uses slow motion and classic music to create a grandiose effect that stands in a hilarious contrast with the event taking place on the screen.
The Lobster is another must-watch multilayered witty narrative from the impeccable imaginarium of Yorgos Lanthimos.
It went straight to my heart and to my all-time favorite films list. -
jolbatista31 October 2023This movie is slow but weird enough to keep my attention. The first theme seems to be that being single is bad and akin to being an animal-animals can go on walks when they want and have sex. The only thing that matters in this dystopian society is being a good pair which is defined as sharing a defining attribute such as "blindness." The only people who are pairing off are doing it based on lies-the guy banging his head to have nosebleeds like his partner and the fat singer pretending to love his wife but not being willing to die for her. The pairs are practicing a willful blindness just to avoid being single or alone.
In the second part of the movie it is frowned upon being paired off or to do any kind of flirting. Its a kind of damned if u do damned if u don't situation. It really depends on what your tribe is doing either being single is the norm or being paired off is the norm. The main character breaks the norm by turning his pair into an animal in the hotel and then actually falling in love with a loner in the woods. He shows his love for her by saying he would die for her and in the end when she is blinded he begins to use the steak knife to blind himself so they can be together. So the movie ends with the message that "love is blind." The love that society forces on individuals is based on lies and true love is based on sacrifice which is shown by the main character literally making himself blind for his partner. -
gregoryrice062 May 2021The idea was intriguing and this was something I had been wanting to watch since it came out, I just didn't enjoy it. It seemed so contrived and it felt like the actors were just going over their lines without emotion, so I didn't really connect with anyone or really care about the plot. There wasn't really a sensible reason for people to turn in to animals or for the loners to be just as brutal about relationships. I get the point it was making, but it didn't really resonate with me.
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CinemaClown18 December 2015Weird, whacky & wicked but equally dull, sterile & vapid, The Lobster is a strange beast that actually begins quite well but tumbles down the road after the halfway mark to conclude on a rather uninteresting note. The concept is no doubt intriguing and it takes its time to make us familiar to the society inhabiting its tale but all of it doesn't amount to much in the end & it fails to leave any lasting impression.
Set in a dystopian future, The Lobster presents a world in which single people are arrested & taken to a hotel where they are obliged to find a matching partner within 45 days or they are transformed into animals & released into the woods. The plot follows David who arrives at the hotel for the same reason but his endeavours of finding a mate before his time is over ends far more tragically than he expected.
Co-written & directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, The Lobster marks his English-language debut and the idea & inspiration behind it is both clever & admirable. The sequences taking place in the hotel are nicely carried out but its second half lacks the same level of creativity that's present in the first half. The excitement goes missing once the protagonist leaves the hotel and from there on, it just limps throughout its remaining runtime.
The hotel is neatly maintained but it also has a creepy vibe about it. Camera movements are fluid, colour hues wonderfully compliment its overcast ambiance and lighting seems natural for the most part. Editing allows the plot to unfold at an unhurried pace but the whole story feels twice as long because of that, with no idea of where it's headed. Last, the background score is just as odd as the story's content and is intermittently utilised.
Coming to the performances, The Lobster features a fine cast in Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw & John C. Reilly and most of them are simply bland & lifeless in their respective roles. It can be argued that the spiritless rendition of these scripted people was deliberate but it doesn't really help in enriching the experience, at all. The deadpan wit is occasionally amusing but it's also too easy to get frustrated by whatever is happening.
On an overall scale, The Lobster is an uncanny mix of bizarre ideas that, in its effort to play with multiple things at once, may end up drifting many of its viewers. While I found nothing lovable about it, its parody of the society that gives way too much credit to companionship, in addition to the dig it takes at those match-making algorithms which rely on similar traits & likeness factor is one aspect I liked but in all seriousness, The Lobster is too mediocre to be of any significance. -
SnoopyStyle1 September 2016David (Colin Farrell) is taken to an isolated hotel. His wife has just left him. The hotel clients have 45 days to find a partner before they are turned into an animal. David's dog is his brother after failing to find a match. He selects to be changed into a lobster. There are particular rules and planned events to the hotel.
This is one strange movie. It does have an internal logic which it is able to keep. It's weirdly funny at times. The deadpan mannerism doesn't keep the movie static. It is able to maintain a compelling story despite its peculiar world. This movie has ideas and it stays with them. Yorgos Lanthimos and his collaborator Efthymis Filippou have done some weird stuff like Dogtooth. This one is able to recruit top shelf acting talents. The second half gets over-extended as it tries to expand the world. The hotel is such a curious place that I would rather stay there for the whole movie. -
Timbo_Watching5 March 2020Having initially watched this film I just was flabbergasted about how bizarre and weird this film was. The acting felt so strange, just as the plot and everything. But it made me think a lot and the more I thought about the film, the more I started liking it. It's a great reflection of modern day society honestly, it was way more deep than I initially thought. I recommend this for sure.
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LlamaPhenomenon19 October 2015Being a Yorgos Lanthimos virgin, I was attracted to the title by its quirky premise and interesting cast list. I approached with cautious optimism, hoping to find a gem at the very least. What I found instead was a cinematic treasure trove.
The Lobster follows David (Colin Farrel) in a society where it is unacceptable to be single. When David's wife leaves him he is sent to The Hotel where he has 45 days to find a partner. If he finds one - awesome. If he fails, he will be turned into an animal. Of his choice, naturally.
It's stylish, it's got technique, it's disorienting (in a good way), it asks questions about us and doesn't really care about hearing our answers. It instills within you the great sense of uneasiness that the characters must feel in this collection of increasingly odd situations through stilted, brutally frank dialogue in a masterclass of a script. The performances, also, are stunning. I was pleasantly surprised by Rachel Weisz in her subtly moving role as the Short Sighted Woman.
Having watched it no more than five hours ago, I find myself recalling it as if it was a dream. The carefully considered combination of editing and cinematography gives the feature that lifted, slightly angled and unaligned feel. Its world presents itself to you in a disembodied kind of way and, in the way you may leave your bed after a dream, you will leave the cinema questioning everything about it.
I can honestly say The Lobster has entered the ranks of my favourite films. Go and catch this while it's still in cinemas - the critically thirsty mind will not remain unquenched. -
After his wife leaves him, David is sent to a hotel for single adults and urged to find a new significant other within 45 days or face a biological transformation into an animal of his choosing.
After a failed attempt at coupling, David meets a runaway from the hotel and the two begin a secret romance........
Well here's something that could be definitely described as 'different', and it's easily the weirdest film to be released last year.
But it always seems that when a film that is set in the future, and is slightly leftfield, the future always has to be dystopian. It's always glum, miserable, and just like this film, a little too depressing.
But then again, if this film was set in a utopia, it would be a kooky chick flick probably starring Ashton Kutcher and Anna Faris.
Heavily influenced by Gilliam and Brazil, The Lobster is a film of two halves. The first half is more or less set in the hotel, and it appears here that David has got himself a 'death' sentence. He's not a very likable person, not a people's person, and the friends he does make are as bizarre and as solemn as he.
And whether this is intentional or not, the majority of the characters in the film bar two, are horribly dislikable. And the two likable characters, Ashley Jensen's biscuit loving depiction of desperation, and Weisz's metaphorical exit from all the madness, both succumb to some sort of life changing incident.
And then the film offers a glimpse of relief, a glimpse of hope for David when he meets the loners, but their rules are more terrifying than that of the hotel. Here he meets Weisz, and it seems that all is not lost, but big brother is always watching, so not only is he trying to hide from the hunters of the hotel, but also from showing his true feelings.
Which is a big part of the acting here, not showing feelings, for which many have mistaken as bad acting. This couldn't be more farther from the truth. Farrell hasn't been this good in years, and the segment where he is pretending not to show any emotion when his brother is killed, is the single greatest piece of acting he has done.
Now to some, this probably doesn't mean much from the guy who starred in the remake of Total Recall, but these scenes are genuinely shocking, you can see he wants to react, but he's so desperate for his own freedom, he has to push himself to the limit.
Calling it a comedy is maybe pushing it a bit too far. There are funny moments for sure, but there are some horrific moments in this piece, and some of the characters traits are seriously sinister.
It's an oddity for sure, some will hate its narrative structure, and although I thought it was a wonderfully written, acted, and highly original piece of cinema, it left me feeling really depressed after.
Worth watching, but my gosh, you'll feel low after. -
It took some time to let Yorgos Lanthimos' new film "The Lobster" settle into my mind. On the surface is a dark comedy, full of rich images, and staggering performances from its principal cast. Deeper lays one of the most original and heart wrenching stories on modern relationships, likely the best seen in film since Michel Gondry's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." "The Lobster" tells the story of a dystopian near future, where single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty- five days or are transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods. At the center is David (played by Colin Farrell), who enters the Hotel with his brother, who's been turned into a dog, and begins a domino effect that will make him both an outcast and a fugitive. Beginning with a hilarious and smart script by Lanthimos and co- writer Efthymis Filippou, "The Lobster" gets some of the year's biggest laughs. The two create a symphony of truth about our society's perception of relationships and love. When David first enters the hotel, you can see the initial despair and fight against the system. He believes in the idea of love but isn't particularly fond of being under its spell once again. Its simply life and death but when the story makes him an outcast, where love is forbidden, you see his hopeless romantic self become drawn to his "Short Sighted Woman." (played by Rachel Weisz) The evolution of David's outlook on his current situation is authentic and real, as he shows the center of his heartache in only intermittent spurts. You can thank all that to the powerhouse performance by Colin Farrell, who delivers his best and most audacious film role to date. "The Lobster" isn't just about its script and lead performer. It also assembles one of the year's best cast ensembles. Rachel Weisz is a sensation, giving her best work since her Oscar-winning role in "The Constant Gardener." As the "Lisping Man," its refreshing to see John C. Reilly dig deep into a role like this, one of which we haven't seen from him in nearly a decade. As the "Limping Man," Ben Whishaw continues to build an arsenal of titanic-like performances, all of which solidifies him as one of the best kept secrets working today. More roles for him please. As the "Loner Leader," Léa Seydoux's villainous and vile demeanor is a fantastical addition, adding a needed depth and danger to the film and role. Olivia Colman's Hotel Manager is a bonus treat, as she effortlessly brings chuckles and fear to her mystery woman. Cinematographer Thimios Bakatakis finds his stride and vision early on, capturing an aesthetic that is both stylized and advantageous. The visual contrast is dazzling and particularly noteworthy but what's lurking between each and every frame is especially dynamic and robust. One of the year's very best. Upon first viewing, Yorgos Mavropsaridis' editing work can seem bloated but over 24 hours later, it's a taut and vivaciously engaging piece, cut with a resemblance of Jeff Buchanan and Eric Zumbrunnen's snubbed work on Spike Jonze's "Her." The score is insanely haunting and very appropriate for its dark natured comic look at life. It took some time to digest but "The Lobster" feels full of life and is a soulful opus on love. Quirky and clever, its black comic tones shouldn't distract from its core narrative and mission; to engage the parimeters and infatuation of devotion. Just a dream.
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Giacomo_De_Bello18 October 2015One of my most anticipated movies of 2015 based solely on the premise. I was fascinated by it as soon as I heard it and have been anxiously awaiting to see it develop since January. Now whilst a part of me is relived and enjoyed the film, I cannot help but be majorly disappointed by what this film ended up being and how far the final product end up from what it could have achieved.
Maybe its part ingenuity since I am not familiar with Yorgos Lanthimos' work, that by the way after seeing this I look forward to check out, but this just seems to be a gold mine of ideas and developments that simply never expand and become the commentary, satire and dramatic storytelling they could have been.
With also some perfect casting choices, especially in Farrell, Seydoux, Colemand and Weisz, whom are all really great and genuinely fun and interesting to watch on screen. They get what the material is about and are one of the main reasons the film never looses its pace. Thanks to their talent you are treated every once in a while to touching, funny and smart scenes that are a little too rare for this film. These are the moments that really get under your skin and make you think and laugh.
There is, of course, a reason for why the rest of the films feels slightly off beat and not to the point: it is simply too unreadable. With such a premise you really have the occasion to make us as an audience relate to a million different situations and turn these situation on themselves and make us both laugh to death and emphasize with characters. But the dead pan of the people in this film and the situations taken into analysis simply don't leave space for the movie to explore what I wanted or to make it pose or answer the question it wants to ask or answer.
There are some brilliant moments of dark comedy and uncomfortable storytelling that really ignited a flame in me when they came on, I was continuously asking myself: "but why did they leave that there?". I basically had a very frustrating time with this movie: on one side I truly admire is ambition, its premise, its ideas and part of the execution, but on the other I really had a hard time enjoying myself as much as I wanted because I wasn't given enough to imagine, think about or simply connect with. -
grantss12 March 2017Set in a dystopian, fascist future, single people are sent to a hotel where they must find a partner in 45 days or get turned into a wild animal of their choice. David's wife has just left him, after 11 years of marriage, and he is sent the hotel. His chosen animal, should he not find a partner, is a lobster.
Quite intriguing, initially. The whole idea and set up was so inane you felt compelled to stick with it. The sheer novelty of it all sucks you in.
However, almost as quickly, the cracks in the concept and plot start to appear. Why do people go along with the preposterous idea? If they are forced to find a partner, why not just find anyone and pretend to be a couple, rather than suffer this fate? While obviously the central idea is quite ridiculous, it is the way people respond to it that is truly implausible and sets the movie up to fail.
Also, why does the opposite of this "couples are everything" regime have to be a "being a perpetual loner is the only way to go" group. Surely there can be a middle ground? The extreme polarity of it all was irritating.
Despite these flaws, however, there was a chance this could develop into an interesting drama. I figured I was happy to overlook these obvious faults if the movie got some momentum. Alas, no, it just gets worse and worse. From a point the plot just becomes very random and, ultimately, pointless.
Only worth watching if you're curious to know what all the fuss is about, but be prepared to be disappointed. -
dario_malic30 July 2015Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos has made a name for himself with strange, absurd films, so it's not unexpected that 'The Lobster' falls in the same category. The story is set in a dystopian world where all single people get sent to some sort of hotel where they have a limited number of days to find a partner or they'll be transformed in an animal of their choosing.
The methods the staff at the hotel use to convince people it's better to be with someone, although shown with deadpan humour, are very disturbing and unexpectedly effective. For instance, when people arrive at the hotel one of their hands is tied up behind their backs to show them that "everything is easier in pair". But there's also a way to extend your stay and remain single. The nearby forest is a hiding place for a group of runaways from the hotel who the residents go out to hunt once in a while. For each successful capture they get their stay extended. It's a pretty straightforward representation of society's fight against diversity and those who don't adhere to rules, but Lanthimos doesn't stay there.
In the second half of the film, when the focus moves from the hotel to the forest, we get even more rigorous rules and brutal demonstration of intolerance for those who don't follow them. It's one of director's ironical twists, but also a disturbing example of illogical and revengeful human nature. Those who were forced to find a partner formed a community in which it is forbidden to have a partner, or even just flirt. Main character proves to be an constant exception and keeps breaking the rules wherever he is and whatever they are (which brings to question whether there's any possibility for him to have a happy ending), symbolizing in that way a fight for individuality inside an oppressive system.
I've wrote more about its messages and themes (although I've mentioned but a few) than about the film itself because I find them more interesting. That's not to say that the film isn't good, on the contrary. It's a film with great acting, haunting music, bleak, washed up cinematography (which perfectly suits its themes) and many standout scenes. It's just that the philosophy behind it is more impressive than what goes on on the surface. 'The Lobster' is more than meets the eye, all the way to its questioning, if not engrossing, ending. -
Brap-213 September 2015Yorgos Lanthimos gives us another taste of his monotone storytelling with 'The Lobster'. The story revolves around several nameless people who exist in a society that demands people to be in a relationship, or be transformed into the animal of their choice and be expelled into the wilderness to fend for themselves. Those who either become single through break-up or becoming widowed are sent to a hotel-like prison where they are cared for, but only for 45 days. If they fail to find a suitable mate, they are transformed and expelled.
It doesn't take long to realize that you're not watching a Sci-Fi flick, but more so a satire on relationships and how people should always be a part of one, that single life is frowned upon. Colin Farrell's character attempts to jump through the hoops of the hotel by doing as they please, but his and other people's mentalities reveal that they cannot stay in that environment and would rather live amongst the Loners who vacate the forests, or die.
We learn that mostly everyone who is a guest at the hotel is repulsive in some way: looks, attitude, or even a minor speech impediment. Eventually, it is understood that this brood of people -- losers, if you will -- are still supposed to be given a chance to find a mate and then live the rest of their dull life with that mate in order to avoid transformation.
While the film exaggerates for our entertainment, it paints a very clear picture about how we perceive relationships and how we must be in one to complete our lives. Clearly, the attitude towards this idea is frowned upon (without going into Spoilers). The entire cast does a great job meeting the tonal demand of Lanthimos' films: dry, monotone, and almost no emotion. Farrell does a great job being terribly awkward. Rachel Weisz narrates the film, reading awkward lines in exchange for laughs. This film should be praised for its photography and script, but not for its length. Perhaps 20-30 minutes could have been shaved off to spare one from nodding off at times, just waiting for the end to come.
'The Lobster' probably could have been a lot better had it been shorter. Despite its great script and hilarious pacing, the film eventually falls flat when it probably could have stayed on its feet. -
wakka_chakka15 June 2020Man .. I don't know .. may be I don't have the wits to understand such movies or may be whatever .. I just didn't get anything except the plot.
The plot was not so tough to understand to be honest. In a dystopian society any single person has 45 days to find a partner else they would be converted in to an animal of their choice. And that is it .. that is it of the horror that "The lobster" was.
I don't care if there were hidden meanings in there or black comedy or something which I overlooked .. I don't care .. All I know that this movie is nothing but a frustrating watch. Please do not and save yourselves.