The Lobster – 2 stars

I want to applaud and encourage ambitious filmmaking, and this picture is certainly an example of that.  A man (Colin Farrell) whose wife leaves him checks himself into a facility resembling a hotel, where he is given 45 days to find a new life mate amongst its other inhabitants.  If he fails to do so, he will be transformed into the animal of his choice. Hence, the title.

When the film stayed in the hotel, it maintained my interest. Writer-director Yorgos Lanthrimos creates an increasing feel of dread and desperation as the guests jockey for position, and while the picture is often the blackest of the black, there is comedy to be found.  But Lanthrimos attempts to mesh this strange land into a wider society, with loners (individuals who are as zealous about being single as the hoteliers are about coupledom) hiding out in the woods while the government enforces duos to such an extent that security personnel harass lone shoppers. The movie just gets darker rather and more exhausting, a chore rather than a delight.

It’s all too clever by half, and ultimately, casually cruel, to no real end.  Lanthrimos’ obvious talents are wasted on this lame social satire.

But don’t listen to me.  My tastes for this sort of thing are vanilla to an almost disabling degree, the critics adored it, and it cleaned up at Cannes.