Being with somebody is the only acceptable way of being for society. But you also have to be compatible – if your partner gets nosebleeds, and you get nosebleeds, you are compatible. If you are alone, you will be turned into an animal. If you are afraid to become an animal, and run away, you become a loner. People, who are alone but not yet turned into animals, can hunt the loners and gain extra days as people to find their compatible partner. Some people would do anything to not be turned into an animal.
The Lobster is probably the weirdest movie I’ve seen, and it’s so crazy that it probably doesn’t feel amazing for everyone. But I’m all about the crazy, so for me, it was awesome and I loved how unique The Lobster created itself to be among all the other romantic movies out there.
Colin Farrell portrays David, who has recently become single, and is forty-five days away from being turned into an animal of his choosing – a lobster. Among others, similar to his kind, they seek to find a suitable partner. At first David is not keen on cheating his way to a partner but later on he decides against it – pairing up with a cruel woman. The fact that the woman is cruel is not up for debate because she literally kills a dog (formerly known as David’s brother) to prove that David isn’t cruel like she is.
That is just the tip of the iceberg for The Lobster, because things get even more weird when David escapes to the woods, becomes a loner and falls in love with Short Sighted Woman (Rachel Weisz). As it is forbidden for loners to be a couple, they have to hide it from their leader (Léa Seydoux) and keep it a secret.
The charm of The Lobster is not just in its plot, but the way the presentation is handled. A lot of the story is narrated by Weisz, and the acting is kept stoic and serious, which contradicts the ridiculous story line. When silly things are delivered with such commitment, they become even more effective. Therefore The Lobster is a thrilling experience: it takes itself so seriously while being completely ridiculous.
Yet the hidden meaning of The Lobster is far from ridiculous as it tackles the understanding of nowadays relationships and the so called labels. I found the idea of couples being socially more acceptable to be sort of accurate compared to our society now. The idea of people being alone therefore different is not far from how people are actually perceived. Various government forms have a tick-box about your status in society: are you single, in a relationship, married or divorced? Online dating profiles are aimed to find you a compatible partner through various of factors.
So even though The Lobster seems completely nuts, it does have a message towards the idea of couples and single people in society. Yes, it has taken the idea to another level, and exaggerated it a lot, but that’s what makes it special! If you are willing to look passed the layer of weirdness, there is a really unique film underneath it with subtle and yet brilliant performance by Farrell.
It was too weird for me, but it is certainly a unique movie. So glad to read the praise for Colin, he is such an underrated actor!
He is underrated! He has some really great performances throughout his career.
I want to see this as I like the films of Yorgos Lanthimos
I’m guessing all his movies are a little weird… let me know if The Lobster is anything like his other movies and I might watch them because me like!
Actually, the only other film of his that I’ve see is Dogtooth.
I want to see this so badly, I wish it would hurry up and get a release in the States. I like weird, this should be up my alley. Great review!
Nice review! I agree – this is a truly crazy movie but in a good way. The performances were great and it was such an interesting story about love and society, and how people “fit” together. The music was amazing too.