The Lobster (2015)

Movie Name/Year: The Lobster (2015)

Tagline: None

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Length: 118 minutes

Rating: R

Production Companies: Film4, Screen Ireland, Eurimages, Nederlands Fonds voor de Film, Greek Film Centre, British Film Institute (BFI), Protagonist Pictures, Element Pictures, Scarlet Films, Faliro House Productions, Haut et Court, Lemming Film, Limp Films, Canal+, Ciné+, L'Aide aux Cinémas du Monde, Centre National du Cinéma et de L'image Animée (CNC), Ministère des Affaires étrangères et du Développement International, Institut Français, MEDIA Programme of the European Union

Producer: Simon Arnal, Caroline Benjo, Julie Billy, Cait Collins, Joost de Vries, Ceci Dempsey, Rory Gilmartin, Ed Guiney, Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Yorgos Lanthimos, Sam Lavender, Andrew Lowe, Lee Magiday, Leontine Petit, Tessa Ross, Carole Scotta, Milan Ueffing, Derk-Jan Warrink

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Writer: Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthymis Filippou

Actors: Jessica Barden, Olivia Colman, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Colin Farrell, Roland Ferrandi, Jaro, Ryac, Ashley Jensen, Ariane Labed, Garry Mountaine, Imelda Nagle Ryan, EmmaEdel O’Shea, Angeliki Papoulia, John C. Reilly, Léa Seydoux, Michael Smiley, Rachel Weisz, Ben Whishaw

Blurb from Netflix: In a near-future world, single people are hunted and forced to find mates within 45 days, or be turned into animals and banished to the wilderness.

Selina’s Point of View:

I really love the concept of this film, that said – the execution was rough.

People who hate indie films on principle, are thinking of this kind of film. There was some very pretentious direction, script-writing, camera work, and editing. Even the music choices made the whole thing seem like even more of a chore. When you add in the fact that it’s a 2-hour movie, I can honestly say it’s just not worth it.

The actors move and speak like they were directed to be the most awkward and unrelatable kind of people you can possibly imagine.

The only reason I have for the fact that The Lobster was highly rated is due to the sheer originality of the story. The world, the story, and the concept were amazing. I have been looking forward to seeing this film for a long time because of it.

This movie just isn’t for me. I think it’s geared more toward film students and hipsters.

Cat’s Point of View:

This movie is one of the strangest things I have ever watched.  Even so, it sucked me in and I couldn’t look away.

I had moments that my jaw just dropped because of the extreme outlandishness of some moments which underscored the ludicrous fractured nature of this movie’s dystopian reality. The movie is billed as a dark romantic comedy. Let me tell you, dark is an understatement.

I’ve wanted to watch this film for a while now. It didn’t make it onto my personal Top 20 list for its month of release in 2015, but it was only by a very narrow margin.  I have to give kudos to the trailer because it does give a good tease for the movie and at the same time doesn’t set up any false expectations. The bizarre is right out there in the open from the beginning.

Of course, considering the last time I’d really watched the trailer was in 2015, I was a little fuzzy on the details of this movie as I began. That might have added to my level of bafflement as events unfolded.

The casting was spot on; with Colin Farrell (Epic, Solace, The Beguiled) and Rachel Weisz (Dream House, The Light Between Oceans, My Cousin Rachel) at the forefront, supported by the likes of Léa Seydoux (Blue is the Warmest Color, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Spectre), and John C. Reilly (The Dictator, Wreck-it Ralph, Tale of Tales). The characters were awkward as products of their crazy authoritarian world, but the actors certainly didn’t fumble in bringing them to life.

I have to say, though, that the film shines an uncomfortable light on society and relationships, among other topics. At the heart of any good dystopian tale, after all, is some nugget of truth about the world we really do live in. This is not the movie for anyone who triggers easily, or is easily offended. There are moments of things that are just not OK – but are purposefully woven into the tale to underscore the twisted nature of the film’s reality.

For a comedy, I didn’t spend a lot of time laughing. I can’t say I wasn’t amused – but the shock value and darkness of the tale overall took the levity out of it for me. I do appreciate the nature of the ending, however. While frustrating, it does provoke discussion and speculation at the very least.

Would I watch this one again or recommend it? I can’t say that I would unless I just had a burning desire to rehash bits of the movie with someone without spoilers. 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 87%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 64%

Metascore – 82/100

Metacritic User Score – 7.0/10

IMDB Score – 7.1/10

CinemaScore – None

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 3/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3/5

Movie Trailer: