To See or Not To See: The Lobster

I’m not even going to hold back on this: you should see The Lobster.

Why?

The Lobster takes place in an alternate version of our world where single people are taken to the country and must find a significant other within 45 days, otherwise they’re turned into an animal of their choice.

This, as you can see, offers a perfect frame for director Yorgos Lanthimos to comment about societal norms around love and relationships.

The best part? The world’s bizarre rules are treated as if they’re ordinary. Everyone is very matter-of-fact about the whole process. Lanthimos shows the banal moments to heighten the absurdity. There’s David, played brilliantly by Colin Farrell, checking into the country hotel where singles desperately seek a mate. There’s David, being locked into a cuff that prevents onanism, which is strictly forbidden (because it’s thought that it lessens the desire for a mate). There’s David, sitting down to dine at a table for one in a sea of tables for one, to hammer home the message that he’s single.

The world’s rules are strange, it’s true. But it does force the viewer to think about our own world’s unspoken rules about marriage, how it’s treated as if it’s the ultimate goal.

The above may make it sound as if it’s a serious movie. It is, with its message and brutality, and it isn’t. I found myself laughing out loud at the deadpan humor, at the ridiculous situations that the characters find themselves in.

The cast does an amazing job of pulling off the humor and the drama. John C. Reilly as a fellow hotel guest, Rachel Weisz as a woman that David meets later on, Lea Seydoux as the leader of the rebels who believe just as strongly in singledom–all performed their roles to the perfect degree.

I honestly can’t recommend this movie enough. It’s fresh, original, thought-provoking, funny, and touching in all the best ways.

Photo Credit: Despina Spyrou