Movie Review: The Lobster
Samiul Bashar Samin
Director Yorgos Lanthimos gets all this, at least if we’re to judge his latest film, The Lobster. His dark, dark comedy is one long and loud metaphor to humanity’s never-ending struggle to understand just what the hell we all want out of love. The story takes place in a dystopian society of the near-future where unlucky singles are tasked by the government to find a romantic partner in 45 days. What happens if they don’t? Imprisonment? Death? Not quite. They’re crudely turned into an animal of their choice and banished into the woods. Are the metaphors clicking yet?
Clearly, The Lobster isn’t your standard rom-com. Director YorgosLanthimos is playing around with the belief that humans only count if they’re with someone, that society sees the older single as a bit of a worry, and that any kind of companionship is better than none. His film is by turns extremely funny, rather poignant and a bit annoying and silly. But it’s never predictable.
Colin Farrell plays a recently ditched architect and hotel guest who variously leers at, rejects and nearly kills potential mates, until he finds one by accident in the woods. Farrell is paunchy and sad, and reminds everyone what a strong comic actor he can be (see also: In Bruges). Of a starry support cast, including Rachel Weisz and Ben Whishaw, Olivia Colman stands out as the hotel manager who believes humour has no part in romance.
After a delightfully surreal first half the film transforms into a less interesting drama. The animal motif gives way to a muddle of ideas about love and loneliness, betrayal, sex, family.
This is Lanthimos, though, so it’s as much a dark comedy as it is a slice of existential horror. That much rings true thanks to its Hemingway-esque conclusion, which should leave you rattled, confused, and depressed. Yet that’s ultimately the power of The Lobster and quite the testament to Lanthimos’ brand of storytelling and filmmaking: he’s able to trump the outlandish premise and turn the film into accessible and timeless reverie. It’s a spark of ingenuity that doesn’t rely solely on subversions or meta humor. Just originality.