The Lobster (2015) Film Review — Bizarre, Comedic, Great…
Ummmmmmmmm… so… this was different…
I’m not sure what I expected going in but I’m glad I watched it finally since the film has been sitting on my watchlist for a long time. The Lobster is set in a nearby dystopian future where single people are taken to a hotel to find a suitable partner and failure to do so after the allotted time results in their transformation into animals. The premise itself is odd and distinct but it’s the execution of the story that truly makes this film an entertaining bizarre experience combining elements of dark absurd comedy and unsettling drama effortlessly.
This is the second film I’ve watched of Yorgos Lanthimos that he directed (after The Favourite) and the first one which he wrote as well. His writing and direction are superb. The visuals are often beautiful owing to the location and the cinematography but with the story being told, the sense of unease and melancholy is far more prevalent. The commentary on relationships on the extreme end of both societal/governmental dictums and bachelorhood rebellion is wonderfully executed with the film striking a sound balance between the message it is trying to convey and entertainment value. This could have easily been a dour and pretentious outing or a boring and too serious “artsy fartsy” film but Lanthimos’ heavy injection of comedy and absurdity doesn’t let it. I had plenty of guffawing and WTF moments often times both coming together and I loved that.
The experience wouldn’t have been possible without amazing performances. Colin Farrel, one of my favourite contemporary actors, delivered yet again a sublime performance as the protagonist and POV character whose relationship has ended resulting in him going through the entire process of finding a new one. Rachel Weisz, Lea Seydoux, Ben Wishaw, Jon C. Reilly and everyone else was on top of their game delivering the odd (and often nonsensical) dialogue with perfect dry deliveries that were the core of most of the humour. As the viewer, everything is odd but for the characters, it’s how things are with a sprinkling of self-awareness never getting egregious that made it such an entertaining watch. When things are allowed to breathe beyond the comedy, it can hit with a mighty punch. I’m not going to spoil it but let’s just say there were times when my blood boiled and blood lust reared its ugly ahead.
The pacing is extremely slow and because of that, the first half of the film was the more entertaining one as the novelty of the concept and the depiction of the process kept things moving steadily. The second half slows down a bit too much and goes on for a bit too long. It doesn’t ruin the experience nor does it get downright boring, though.
I would highly recommend giving this a watch but with the kind of film it is, I expect a lot of people not to enjoy it at all. The thing is, I didn’t know I would even like it either but ended up loving it so I’ll still say give it a try if you haven’t. The performances are top-notch, the visuals are strong, the comedy and drama are superb in all of their absurdity, and the poignancy present can sneak up behind you and surprise you in the best of ways despite the experience being a bit too slow at times. And if I were to rate it, I’d give it an 8/10.
