THE LOBSTER (#TIFF15 Review)

THE LOBSTER
Written by Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthymis Filippou / Directed by Yorgos Lanthimo / Starring Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz & Olivia Colman

Trainer Waiter: It’s no coincidence that the targets are shaped like single people and not couples.
THE LOBSTER is satire at its most wickedly bizarre.

Some years into a dystopian future, David (Colin Farrell) has become, through no fault of his own, something everyone fears: single. An unacceptable status in the society in which he lives, he is picked up by a couple of uniformed employees and taken to “The Hotel”, where he has 45 days to mingle with others in his predicament and try to find a suitable mate. Should he not “make it”, he will be transformed into an animal of his choice and turned into the nearby woods.

Life at The Hotel is strange. Everyone wears the same clothes and is treated to the same activities, ranging from dances and swimming to excursions into the woods to shoot the “Loners”. Dramatic reenactments of everyday situations teach the guests about the perils of solitude. And all that goes on under the roof of The Hotel is closely monitored by the Manager, played by Olivia Colman (Broadchurch).

Also starring Rachel Weisz, John C. Reilly and Ben Whishaw (SKYFALL), THE LOBSTER is the first English feature film from Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos (DOGTOOTH). It is the darkest of dark comedies, but it’s also hilarious – sometimes deliciously macabre, and often horrifyingly so. And whenever you think it can’t get any more bizarre, well it just does.

Undoubtedly your first reaction to this film will be one of “WTF?”, from the very first scene even. But it stays with you, and the more you think about it, the more you love it. Because it has something brilliant to say about our treatment of the single members of our society. And no matter how ridiculous Lanthimos’ world is, it’s perhaps not so far off from our own.

THE LOBSTER screens at TIFF15 as part of the Special Presentations program. Here is the screening information:

Friday, September 11, 3:00 PM, Princess of Wales

Saturday, September 12, 4:45 PM, Bloor Hot Docs Cinema

For more information and for tickets, please visit tiff.net.

Your turn!

How many sheep would you give The Lobster?

[kkstarratings]