In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or are transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods.
Director:
Yorgos LanthimosStoryline
A love story set in a dystopian near future where single people are arrested and transferred to a creepy hotel. There they are obliged to find a matching mate in 45 days. If they fail, they are transformed into an animal and released into the woods. Written by R. Byma
This is a very strange movie, the presentation is very serious and oppressive (using the Mozart pieces repeatedly over slow motion motion montages and Rachel Weisz narrating the story very sternly), but at the same time the delivery of the lines and the odd way each character acts made me laugh at the ludicrousness of it all. It's all done in such a deadpan manner and the supporting cast made up John C. Riley and several British television comedians (Olivia Colman, Ashley Jensen, Ewen MacIntosh) help propel the comedy.
There's plenty of unique ideas about relationships (people coming together because they have something trivial in common, like nose bleeds; being assigned a child to stop newlywed couples arguing, etc.). The love story between Farrell and Weisz drives the second part of the film, showing the two at odds against the world, trying to find a place for themselves in a world with conflicting ideologies (she's from a group of loners who hide out in the forest, their leader has a strict policy on romantic relationships and is just as oppressive as the government they're fighting against).
"The Lobster" is a unique movie that is worth watching if you enjoy quirky comedies or just something different.