Profundity in its most absurd form !!!

Rating: 9/10 (12 August 2016)

Prior to watching this, I had already seen Lanthimos' 'Dogtooth'. So I was already somewhat familiar with his unconventional style of storytelling and I knew that 'The Lobster' was also going to be something weird. This is Lanthimos' first film in English.
The screenplay is written by Lanthimos and his screen writing collaborator Efthymis Filippou. Just like 'Dogtooth', the story creates this new world with new rules and regulations. Many reviewers have stated that the film is set in a dystopian future, but for me, this is a parallel universe. Lanthimos creates an alternate reality to satirise our own reality. This is a film of two halves. In the first half, he satirises the way relationships and marriage are viewed by society. In this film, if anyone is not in a genuine loving relationship with someone, he/she is supposed to be discriminated against. It is a commentary on our own society where so many people see marriage and relationships as the shortcut to happiness and it underlines how single middle aged people are deemed as 'losers' in our world. The film in its own absurd way shows how in this desperation to find a partner and be an ideal couple in the eyes of society, people tend to pretend to be someone else in order to find the perfect connection. By doing this they trade their own individuality for a fake and unstable relationship.
But the masterstroke in the writing and direction comes in the second half when the film starts undercutting it's own message and satire. The second half of the film shows how a society that completely rejects relationships can never be ideal too because this is also nothing short of dictatorship which smothers human choice. Lanthimos shows that no matter what, human beings still have a general need for companionship and relationship. So in a nutshell in the whole movie, Lanthimos and Filippou is neither advocating against relationships nor for them, all they are doing is making a statement against totalitarianism and upholding the individual's choice and his/her individualism which should never be compromised just to show everyone that you're with someone. The first half of the film critiques the establishment and the second half critiques uncontrolled anti-establishment tendencies. The ideal state of existence for Lanthimos and Filippou is the grey area that lies in the middle of these two extreme schools of thoughts, an area which encourages choice and I think the last shot of the film perfectly epitomises this idea. With the last shot, Lanthimos puts the eventual outcome of the story in the hands of the viewers and celebrates choice.
Lanthimos' direction and style of storytelling is extremely deadpan. The deadpan style of storytelling and line delivery by the actors actual adds to the comedy to the whole premise and elevates the absurdness that surrounds every inch of the film and makes it extremely funny. There are scenes where I couldn't help but laugh out loud. But then very quickly he will change the mood with something graphic and disturbing. Just like 'Dogtooth', Lanthimos makes the viewer laugh at the absurdness on show, but then feel a little troubled for finding something which should be disturbing, very funny. Although 'The Lobster' shares the darkly funny satirical tones of 'Dogtooth' as well as its criticism of totalitarianism, but the visual style of the two films are very different. While 'Dogtooth' was made to look intentionally bleak and visually dull, 'The Lobster' is shot beautifully. The shots in the hotel as well as in the forest really have a visual appeal to them. Lanthimos' framing and shot composition is meticulous. The deadpan nature of the film reminded me of Kubrick's 'A Clockwork Orange' to some extent and the absurdness of Lanthimos' formalism is certainly reminiscent of Buñuel's works like 'Viridiana' and 'Belle de Jour'.
The acting remains very deadpan and non-demonstrative throughout the film. Colin Farrell is brilliant and really the best part of the film. Even with his deadpan demeanour, he manages to express his loneliness, his awkwardness and also manages to be very funny at the same time. Rachel Weisz's character is really likable. I really believed the connection between her and Farrell.
'The Lobster' is the kind of film that can't be recommended to everyone due to its idiosyncrasies. It is profound, but weird. It is funny, but disturbing. I loved the way in which the themes and ideas were explored here. This film made me want to explore other films that Lanthimos has made in the past. I will also be gladly waiting for his subsequent films in the future.