After seeing the trailer to The
Lobster, I knew that it was going to be an extremely strange
movie, but I don’t know that I was fully prepared for just what
transpired. If there is nothing else that can be said of this movie,
it is that it is unlike anything you have ever seen before. It has a
unique vision, unique cinematic style, and unique performances, that
all combine into an enjoyable experience, even if you don’t know
exactly what you are looking at half of the time.
The Lobster is set in a
dystopian future, where people are not allowed to live alone. Upon
the loss of one’s significant other, they are shipped off to a
hotel, where they have 45 days to find a new mate or they are turned
into an animal of their choosing. As the title states, the main
character David wants to be turned into a lobster, if he is unable to
find his mate in the required time frame. Outside of the hotel, in
the woods, those that have rebelled against the system live as the
Loners, where they have their own very distinct rules, of which the
main rule is that they must be alone. This presents two very
distinct different lifestyles, with no real grey area for any one
person to live, and that is what shapes the premise of the movie, in
my opinion.
Shortly into the movie, the
performances by the cast are what really grab your attention.
Everyone is very flat, and emotionless, and that is done
deliberately. The subtleties of the cast, which includes Colin
Farrell in probably his best role, John C. Reilly, whom is always
good, and Rachel Weisz, whom is also always good in her roles, really
make each character feel like the others, which is the whole point.
The movie states on multiple occasions that people have to be matched
based on a common physical aspect that both mates share, which
doesn’t leave room for personality, and the cast does a good job of
pulling this off.
The camera work in the film is
very dark and drab, once again on purpose, to further the overarching
point that society puts so much emphasis on being a physical match
with someone, that none of the other stuff matters. I feel that the
director really had a vision of how he wanted all of this to mesh
together, and he pulled it off brilliantly. Even the music
overtones, which are essentially the same throughout the film,
continue to express how every scene is kind of the same as the
previous scene, but is also tied together as we lead up to the
conclusion of the film.
Which leads me to the (somewhat)
problem I had with the film. The ending is very open ended, once
again on purpose, and depending on how you viewed the film all the
way to the end is how you are going to interpret the ending. Due to
not spoiling the ending, I won’t give my thoughts on the ending,
but I was just hoping for something a little more concrete at the
end. But considering how the rest of the movie played out, I guess
it shouldn’t surprise me, and if nothing else, it leads to some
interesting talking points for two different people that have seen
the movie. I think two different people can give two very different
interpretations of the ending, and both could be completely accurate
in how they took it.
There are some very dark scenes in
the movie, and I mean that from a content perspective, not just the
dark and drab camera work. There is a dark humor aspect to the
movie, but also a lot of what happens isn’t funny at all, but still
comes off that way due to the performances of the cast. It almost
feels like a Wes Anderson film, only in Wes Anderson movies, the tone
feels lighter. In this movie, the tone is pretty heavy and stays
that way throughout.
If you are looking for a movie
that will make you think, and really look at the symbolistic message
that the movie is trying to tell, than you probably won’t find many
better movies than this one. I was pretty enthralled throughout the
movie, even as I was wondering just what in the world was going on
half of the time. But by the end, I think I got the point that the
filmmakers were trying to get across, and I have found myself
thinking about the movie long after the credits were finished
rolling. It is definitely a unique experience, and one that I felt
is very rewarding if you are willing to put the time in to absorb
everything that is being thrown at you.
My rating for the movie is 8.5/10
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