Review of The Lobster (2015) by Fungusgnat — 16 Jun 2016
Film opens with a close-up of a woman driving . . . and driving . . . and driving some more. After a long minute or so, she pulls over, walks to a nearby paddock where donkeys are grazing, pulls out a pistol and shoots one of them twice, then leaves.
Like much else in this film, this may or may not be funny, depending on your perspective. But that is as good as it gets. The story involves a newly single man who is enrolled in a . . . let’s call it a matchmaking program, at a secluded hotel with other singles; those who fail to find a match are transformed into an animal of their choosing (our hero picks a lobster, thus the title).
There is a lot of set-up, some adventure, occasional cruelty, a little romance, and a few laughs – although there is a black-comic undercurrent to the whole thing, as if Lanthimos was trying for a Jim Jarmusch mood.
Recommended only for the serious cineaste or the aficionado of the offbeat. Major trigger warning for animal lovers (and the donkey isn’t the worst of it). Me, I checked my watch, something I rarely do in the theater.
There were 20 minutes left.
This review of The Lobster (2015) was written by Fungusgnat on 16 Jun 2016.
The Lobster has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
