The Lobster

The Lobster is a parade of depravity where single people are taken to a hotel and if they don't find the love of their life within 45 days, they are killed and turned into the animal of their choice, and they also often run into the woods to hide from the hotel staff who sometimes come hunting for them. That's the plot in a nutshell. Colin Farrell is okay, though it's certainly not the role of a lifetime, the plot is very bizarre, the first half hour plays out a compelling yet unforced interesting game and sets up the rules of the world, at times the film has a perverse futuristic undertone and at other times it’s funny to the point of parody. Unfortunately, it all feels so strange, underdeveloped and very uncertain, and while you can see that the idea and originality are there, the translation into ideal cinematic form is worse. It's probably no wonder, this concept is pretty crazy and personally I don't think it could have been done "better", but that's not because the film is very good, but simply because this thing can't even be made into a movie. A bold move by the director, for sure, but an unfinished affair that will puzzle viewers for a long time. It's hard to judge, but the final impression is rather negative – I get the feeling that the film wants to be taken more seriously than it actually is. (15/10/2021)

Orwell style black-humorous romantic satire ... Bizarre? Definitely. Unique? There´s no doubt about it. Refined? Not even close. The first hotel half is incomparably better the second forest part, which is ruined mainly by the non-existent chemistry between the central couple that is "despite everything" very much in love and by the fact that it all fades away (and no, I do not mean the final scene). And now something completely different. (12/03/2016)

(50th KVIFF) One of the three best films I’ve seen in the Karlovy Vary Film Festival this year. A story about a totalitarian world where people must be paired, otherwise they are turned into the animal of their choice. David, the protagonist, has been left by his wife and for that reason he’s been taken to a Hotel were he’ll have about 45 days to find a replacement. After an unsuccessful attempt to pair with an insensitive woman, he escapes to the forest where he joins the Loners, a group who doesn’t acknowledge the rule of pairing, in fact, they observe the extreme opposite and punish any sign of courtship and love. A bizarre feat by bizarre Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, who already has surprised with Dogtooth and disappointed with Alps. I believe I can say with certainty that The Lobster is his best film so far. The sci-fi label is a bit misleading, the process of turning people into animals is not addressed, it’s simply the portray of a perverted totalitarian regime with ridiculous rules, the breach of which is punished in a ridiculous way; where people have lost their humanity, speak like robots, follow ridiculous rituals and make their decisions based on ridiculous criteria. The film is told in a very detached way. The events are told by a narrator and the characters themselves in a distant and laconic manner. In particular, the first half, which takes place in the Hotel, is brilliant. Lanthimos gets all the juice out of the premise and creates one unforgettable scene after another (by the way, the film is incredibly funny at times, if you are into that thing). But it looses some of its strength when it moves to the forest and the group of Loners. It begins to squeeze into the disturbing satire the development of the secret (and not so interesting) relationship between Farrel and Weisz, which doesn’t mean that the second half is devoid of excellent scenes. 90 % (11/07/2015)

Yorgos Lanthimos is so weird to the point of being fun, and after The Killing of a Sacred Deer I gave a chance to the the two year older The Lobster and I'm thrilled. Colin Farrel may be the man for these weird projects. The film pulls you in right from the start with its very bizarre idea and unusual hotel with strange rules and harsh punishment. Surprisingly, it was quite gritty in places, but very funny in others and managed to make you tense or downright shock you. I love that combination and some of the scenes were downright brilliant. The scream of the woman who jumped from the 10th floor to the ground was so realistically portrayed that I had goosebumps all over. For me it was a blast, but it won't suit everyone (not everyone likes this kind of controversial bizarre stuff). The only disappointment is the open ending. 85% (25/02/2018)

Except for a few festival crap shows, I never left the cinema before the closing credits. Until The Lobster. It was clear after twenty minutes that I wasn't on the same wavelength as the film, but I hung on for another half hour. That's all I could do. Overwrought drivel full of awkwardly declaiming actors, dysfunctional humour and romance, and a tragic attempt to pretend it is something more. I give that one star to the actors, most of whom I like quite a bit and felt sorry for. But Yorgos Lanthimos goes on the blacklist. And I’m buying a beer to whomever makes sure Johnnie Burn never composes music again. (05/06/2016)