The Lobster – 2 stars

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 story 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. 

Unfortunately, Lanthimos leaves the strange, self-contained bubble and takes us to a wider society. There, loners — individuals as zealous about being single as the government is about coupledom – hide out in the woods while the authorities enforce duos to such an extent that security personnel harass lone shoppers at the mall. Lanthimos doubles down again and again on the absurd. Eventually, the movie becomes exhausting, a chore rather than a delight.

Worse, it’s all too clever by half, and ultimately, casually cruel, to no real end. People are miserable and they suck or they are delusional Moonies.

That said, my tastes for this sort of thing are reflexively vanilla to an almost disabling degree. The critics adored it, and it cleaned up at Cannes.