I completely forgot about this thread. I'll just make this my go to film review thread since that's what I mostly did on here anyways.
The Lobster
The Lobster comes from none other than Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos, the helmer of a little indie flick by the name of Dogtooth. Nominated for best foreign language film at the time and a movie that highlighted glaring idiosyncrasies Lanthimos would surely flesh out over time. What made Dogtooth stand out though was his ability to take such an absurd meticulous plot and weave some allegory into it. What it all meant I'm still trying to decipher myself. Then that moment. That moment where some blood gets shed. It was painful to watch, yet tame in the sense that much harsher brutality has been filmed before. It stood out though because of his ability to even take it to such lengths and not shy away from a necessary progression to the story. That's why Dogtooths brilliant, and that's exactly why The Lobster's even better.
Colin Farrell plays a man that essentially is bound to this rehab sort of facility and must find a lover within 6 weeks or else they will transform him into a Lobster, the animal he chose for himself. What transpires in the ensuing 2 hours is strangely even stranger than turning humans into animals. Each performance is very robotic, especially Farrell. His deadpan delivery makes this anxious film even more stressful. Admittedly, as much as a love or hate relationship you might have with the story, the most impressive attribute is the cinematography. The look and color of this film is extremely impressive. Surprised he wasn't nominated because frankly, it's one of the most well shot films I've ever watched. To see what an achievement it is and also get a hysterical absurdist story out of it is a testament to how great this director is. I felt like every shot of a hallway or even some of the slow-motion scenes in the woods meant something greater than what I was watching. Very Kubrick like techniques in play and done smart enough to put a stamp on it as his own.
What can be said that hasn't already been said. It's a Lanthimos film, which at this point in his career means you know what you're getting yourself into before you press play. And I wouldn't have it any other way. This is a stroke of arthouse genius that begs to be talked about for many many years.
A