The Lobster (2015)
A dark marriage of comedy.
Presentation:
This film marks Yorogos Lanthimos inflection point in his filmmaking career where he begins to gain recognition for his bizarro style. Like all his films, there is always an inspection of absurdity in our society and in this case he chose marriage. It’s quite weird and dystopian like a Black Mirror episode, but could be oddly delightful and funny for a few.
Analysis:
The film is about the absurdity of marriage: Shackling oneself to another person even if you don't want to in order to fall in line societal expectations. It's obviously a very pessimistic take on marriage, which is seemingly a trite and pointless ceremony. There is some merit to this idea, society does seem to engage in traditions in order to please the order. But this is something that may be more relevant in Asia that the west. Nevertheless, an alarming trend in our modern society where marriage and birth rates have plummeted. It's never explained how they are turned into animals, but it doesn't matter. It's more a testament of how ridiculous society can treat you for not following tradition. Bear in mind Yorgos is Greek.
Conclusion:
I actually quite liked this film, but I believe the majority will not. Even if you do enjoy the metaphor, it may feel like the story is drawn out longer than it needs to be. There’s an argument that a short film would have sufficed, but I think there are some fun scenes that make this film worthwhile. It stands out from his other weird projects by being darker due to the dystopian setting. I think it’s actually quite fitting and timely, perhaps a future classic, as it may be more relevant and foreshadowing of reality in the not-so-distant future.
Recommendations
A stressful film that gets you emotionally invested.