Occasionally hilarious, ‘Lobster’ proves fatiguing
By Liz Reichart// A&E Editor
“Nosebleed Woman,” played by Jessica Barden and David, played by Colin Farrell, share a dance at the singles facility before their 45 days come to an end. Photo by: screenprisim.com
What more can be said on love? Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets, but that wasn’t enough. Countless Disney animation films, a $10 billion relationship advice industry, even television programs dedicated to syphoning off one suitable fiancé from 26 men- these things aren’t enough. So much has been written, produced, created about love that it seems redundant to try and write any more; shouldn’t we feel oversaturated? Originality has been lost on love. But Yorgos Lanthimos accepted when taken up on the challenge.
Lanthimos (“Dogtooth,” “Alps”) is known for his films in which his characters push system boundaries, as he has a tendency to do with the conventions of film. His critically-acclaimed films of years past have been low-budget Greek films. “The Lobster” is Lanthimos’ first foray into an English language film with big name actors. The premise he creates with these new facilities at hand is startling in every sense of the word. This director brings viewers a dystopian society in which single people must find a mate within 45 days or be transformed into an animal of their choice. The story follows David (played by Colin Farrell) whose wife recently left him for another man, as he enters an all-singles facility to find a new mate, mandated by law.
The film is split into two halves. The first winds through the eccentric “get hitched or die trying” world of the singles facility, where wayward singles seek commonality with other residents. It’s like Match.com only there are strict rules, uniforms, required participation in couples activities, and grueling punishments. And, of course, you get turned into an animal of your choice if you cannot find a suitable mate in 45 days. The second half of the film looks at David’s escape from the facility and his joining the vigilante loners he once hunted as part of the singles housing.
Is it clear yet that this is a statement on love that has never before been attempted, or at least not in such a strikingly sinister fashion?
This film succeeds in many regards; there are a handful of moments that aren’t just funny, but doubled-over laughing funny. Comedic relief comes in the form of John C. Reilly, a man who speaks with a lisp but ironically wants to be turned into a parrot, the only animal that can speak, if he can’t find a mate. The absurdist nature of the dystopia succeeds in its execution, firing on all cylinders with details like the tacky-resort feel of the singles facility and the smorgasbord of exotic animals that roam the facility grounds after their 45 days were up. Visually, it’s a stunning film- dark, sterile and enchanting. Lathimos had a point to make and he didn’t make it subtly: love is uncomfortable, it keeps you on the edge of your seat, and it often involves abandonment. Companionship, at its core, is a brutal thing. “This is an honest account of the view I have so far based on what I’ve seen and experienced,” Lathimos said. “Hopefully, the film is open-ended and open to interpretation, with plenty of questions about this topic. I think human relationships- the whole thing is cruel.”
The film, much like our companions, is riddled with fault. The first half moves at the speed of light, while the half that takes place in the infidel loner camp drags on for an eternity. Not to mention that watching this film is a form of cruel and unusual punishment upon oneself. Lathimos spared no grizzly detail; love has been described as both patient and kind, but for Lathimos, love is uncomfortable and grizzly.
Despite the truly morbid tone of the film, many critics have called this Lanthimos’ warmest work. “Even if it’s my warmest, most romantic film, I still want it to have the more cynical view of things, showing the irony and absurdity of things that we consider normal,” Lathimos said, and claims that warmth may come from its themes of companionship. “I think I did want to make a romantic film. I’m not sure if it was intentional from the very beginning, but I’m sure somewhere while writing the script it became intentional. I wanted it to have a real love story.” Ultimately, this “real” love story is not of the joyous Jennifer Aniston flick genre, but an exhaustive and emotive account, not unlike the laborious nature of searching for love itself. In short, it doesn’t make you feel good, isn’t great for a date night and leaves you saying “that’s it?”
The absurdity of “The Lobster” and the insane, but not-so-insane that it’s far from the norms we accept, dystopia leaves viewers wondering if we too wouldn’t all be better off as furry creatures. At least if I were a miniature pony, I wouldn’t have been subjected to the blinding torture of this film.