The Lobster: Funny, Dark, Disturbing, And Not At All What You Think It Is

Do me a favor. You've seen a trailer for The Lobster?  A little thirty second TV-spot, maybe? Some sort of advertisement for the film where you have a bit of an idea what it's going to be like and based off of that, you've decided whether you not you want to see the movie? Yeah-- forget all of that. Take any of those preconceived notions out of your head because I'm telling your right now-- the movie is not like that at all. The first maybe ten to fifteen minutes of the movie are-- the rest-- not so much. While the trailer may suggest that it's that quirky indie-comedy screwball Colin Farrell In Bruges-type mixed with some Wes Anderson... the result is something completely different, though incredibly unique. I honestly cannot tell if I absolutely hated the movie or if it was brilliant.

What the trailer shows is essentially the set up for the movie-- an alternate universe where if you're single, dumped, or lost your significant other, you have 45 days to find another love or you'll be turned into an animal of your choice. Single people go to a hotel in search of finding another true love. There, men and women co-mingle hoping to find a single common bond between them (such as two people prone to nosebleeds) which helps in aiding the love process. It really has no meaning in finding love whatsoever. Colin Farrell visits the hotel knowing that if he doesn't make it, he wants to be turned into a lobster. Also at the hotel, visitors go out into the woods hunting "loners" (defectors of love), and with each loner killed, they earn another day at the hotel. It's a quirky premise that, after explained, winds up much differently than expected (which I still can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing).

What Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos has done is build a whole dystopian world with a darkly funny idea and fully examines what society values in terms of finding a partner. It's an examination of today's technological world in which finding a mate is of the utmost importance, but not very difficult to do. With dating sites, apps, Tinder, etc. finding someone who shares at least one common bond with you, in order to strike up a text-based conversation is truly easy-- but does it signify love? Maybe, maybe not. It's also an examination of loneliness-- something another dark comedy did last year (Anomalisa).  Both films were unapologetic with their somber tones and painfully humorous moments, but they're not exactly the most fun films in the world to watch. While The Lobster begins very quirky, where it winds up is more terrifying and violent.

To give you a complete rundown of the film, and even reading the entire plot synopsis on Wikipedia, makes the film sound as though it is quite funny, in a really bleak way. Yet, after the first twenty minutes or so, loses all humor viscerally. There are moments of extreme violence that seem to come out of nowhere (especially towards animals-- so if you're particularly sensitive to that, this is definitely not a movie for you). The movie may have a very poignant message and outlook on relationships and love, but it's not necessarily enjoyable by general film standards.  It's an arthouse piece, but it never feels too douchy ("art" for the sake of "art"). It's a screwball comedy that never feels to funny.  It's a thriller that never feels too thrilling. And the ambiguous ending to the film may leave most viewers with a bad taste in their mouth. The one thing I can totally give the movie is that Lanthimos doesn't ever look down on his audience. He's very specific about every scene and never dumbs down or sits and explains anything. It's all played out so that the audience is in on the joke. And the joke is quite unique-- though I'm not sure if that's the film's weakness or the praise I can give it.

It's tough figuring out if I didn't enjoy watching it because of the idea I'd already established in my head that the movie would be, or because it just wasn't something that I enjoyed. It's a very messed up movie in the sense of what happens to characters on screen or where the story ends up taking its main character. It's one of those situations where if I explain to you everything that happens, it sounds pretty wacky and unusual, but watching it play out isn't very pleasant (at least to me).  But it's in that retelling of the story that makes me ponder the actual brilliance of the story and the script.  The execution may have left a pretty salty taste in my mouth, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. Loneliness and the way it affects all is not something that is every going to be pleasurable to watch, especially if it's looked at harshly, but that doesn't mean the end result has failed. So, I don't think that I can recommend The Lobster to anyone (especially if you had the same expectations as I did going in), but that doesn't mean the movie failed.  It's probably one I'm going to have to sit on for awhile. I'll probably never watch it again... but who knows?

C-