Novel idea...and that's all

Rating: 3/10 (12 March 2017)

Set in a dystopian, fascist future, single people are sent to a hotel where they must find a partner in 45 days or get turned into a wild animal of their choice. David's wife has just left him, after 11 years of marriage, and he is sent the hotel. His chosen animal, should he not find a partner, is a lobster.
Quite intriguing, initially. The whole idea and set up was so inane you felt compelled to stick with it. The sheer novelty of it all sucks you in.
However, almost as quickly, the cracks in the concept and plot start to appear. Why do people go along with the preposterous idea? If they are forced to find a partner, why not just find anyone and pretend to be a couple, rather than suffer this fate? While obviously the central idea is quite ridiculous, it is the way people respond to it that is truly implausible and sets the movie up to fail.
Also, why does the opposite of this "couples are everything" regime have to be a "being a perpetual loner is the only way to go" group. Surely there can be a middle ground? The extreme polarity of it all was irritating.
Despite these flaws, however, there was a chance this could develop into an interesting drama. I figured I was happy to overlook these obvious faults if the movie got some momentum. Alas, no, it just gets worse and worse. From a point the plot just becomes very random and, ultimately, pointless.
Only worth watching if you're curious to know what all the fuss is about, but be prepared to be disappointed.