Rule-keepers are the Best Killers

Rating: 7/10 (8 November 2015)

There are those who love rules. However, they mostly want others to live by them, not themselves. This is the premise of The Lobster where bizarre rules reign. Among them is a rule that if a spouse dies, then another spouse must be chosen - in a controlled environment and among slim pickings - within 40 days. Failure results in being turned into an animal of your choice. Of course there are exceptions. If you kill someone, you get an extra day. In such an Alice in Wonderland type atmosphere it is only the keepers of such insane rules who thrive.
These rule-keepers rarely have a heart or any empathy for others. Rather, they are the best killers. Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz and John Reilly play characters that are caught up in this nightmare. I loved the theme of the story and the characters, yet I thought it was disjointed, awkward and too far-fetched even for me (a lover of such Kafkaesque settings). I may not have been in the right frame of mind going into the film or as convinced, as those at Cannes who gave it a jury prize, that the characters are motivated by fear. A very imaginative and interesting film overall despite the shortcomings. TSeen at the Toronto International Film Festival 2015.