The Lobster Synopsis: In a dystopian near future, 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 animals and sent off into The Woods.
David (Colin Farrell) lives in a world where Coupledom is the only acceptable way of life. When his wife leaves him, he is sent to The Hotel, where he has forty-five days to find a compatible partner or be transformed into an animal of his choice for the rest of his life. Circumstances lead him to a group called The Loners, who live outside of societal norms and forbid romantic relationships between anyone in the group. David meets a woman we only know as Short-Sighted Woman (Rachel Weisz), and the two have to hide their blossoming romance or risk death.
As with nearly all of Yorgos Lanthimos’s offbeat productions, The Lobster is an acquired taste. It is bizarre, occasionally distressing, and often hilarious. There is no explanation for why the world has become this dystopian future, but an answer isn’t necessary. We learn along the way. It’s ridiculous and appalling but somehow horribly believable.
Colin Farrell gives a nuanced performance as David. Left by his wife, he is sent to The Hotel with his brother, who had gone through the Hotel’s program and failed and was thus turned into a dog. His initial awkwardness and vulnerability are palpable as he adjusts to life at The Hotel, including its restrictive rules and harsh punishments. And Farrell’s deadpan delivery, for the most part, complements the film’s absurdity.
I loved watching David’s progression from determination to find a companion to pushing back against The Hotel and everything it stands for and escaping. When he does find love within the loners, he also finds a new level of oppression. The Hotel and The Loners… are they really any different? One must either love fully or love not at all… where is the in-between?
We never learn Rachel Weisz’s name in The Lobster. She is known as the Short-Sighted Woman and is the film’s narrator. Weisz is adorably charming as SSW and David’s love interest. They play exceptionally well off of one another. Despite the grim outlook and foolishness of the situation, it feels like they can succeed somehow, even if that requires horrific sacrifice.
Along with its unique premise and sharp script, The Lobster also boasts an immensely talented cast. Olivia Colman is the no-nonsense hotel manager. John C. Reilly and Ben Whishaw play fellow hotel guests who befriend David as they search for their compatible mate, and French actress Léa Seydoux is excellent as the magnetic but cold leader of the loners. You can’t help but sympathize with these characters and how inane their world has become. It’s hard to blame them for their actions, especially when they’re not given much choice to do anything different.
Even so, despite the humor that cuts through some of the more ridiculous moments, The Lobster is also incredibly bleak. It provides plenty of laughs, but there’s an oppressive darkness to the narrative, because how could a world like this one ever provide its inhabitants a happy ending? At times, the pacing felt a little clunky, and while I was entertained for most of the film, it began to feel like it would never end. The romance is captivating but the movie never quite lets you forget just how disturbing it really is.
While The Lobster has incredibly dark undertones, it’s still biting satire on society’s obsession with companionship and how far one will go to form a proper connection with another. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but you must admit that Yorgos Lanthimos is a unique and bold storyteller.
Watched: 02/02/2024
Notable Song: Where the Wild Roses Grow by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Kylie Minogue
