Asks the question
what animal do you want to be in your next life?
“The Lobster” is a social sci-fi film with a unique perspective on the familiar themes on relationships and finding a mate. Romance in movies is so common, that it’s not confined to just romantic films. It’s intertwined with all other genres. And yet, “The Lobster” adds a complexity to the subject matter—the likes of which are both bold and refreshing.
Colin Farrell leads a very talented cast. He plays the role of David, a recently widowed man who checks into a hotel designed to serve as a dating center where single people hook up. But it’s not your ordinary type of hook up. It’s a mandate.
Rules of the society
Every one must be married. No single people allowed. But there are even rules to your choice, but I won’t go into that.
Bottom line… you have a given amount of time to stay in the hotel to find your mate.
What happens if you don’t find a mate?
You’re turned into an animal. David’s choice if he doesn’t find a mate in the allotted time?… you guessed it, a lobster. Strange choice.
Whereas, dogs (like this one below that is staying with David) are a very popular choice. At least we now know why there are so many dogs in the world. It’s all starting to make sense.
The tone is a bit quirky. There’s a dead-pan flavor that runs throughout. The film is listed as a comedy, but I didn’t see it as such. There some amusing parts, but it plays as a drama with very dark humor sprinkled throughout.
The expanse of this world
I appreciated that “The Lobster” didn’t confine itself to just the hotel. David branches outside to the woods where he comes in contact with people who live in the wild.
Here we explore the lives of the loners, who exist to buck the system. As with life, there is more than one point of view. The loners represent those who refuse to follow the rules the society has laid down.
And so ultimately, “The Lobster” is a look at conformity and rebellion--the personal sacrifices one has to make in order to comply and the consequences of defiance.
This quote from the movie really stuck out at me:
“It is more difficult to pretend that you do have feelings when you don’t, then to pretend you don’t have feelings when you do.”
The tension builds during the second half of the film with the addition of these loners. And we learn that the thing about rules is that it’s not just restricted to the conformist.
“The Lobster” was a well written story that takes finding a match and turning it on its head. It’s a love story that is as heartfelt and as it is wicked… as beautiful as it is cruel.
Score: 9.75/10
