Dishonest trailer and reviews hide the cruelty of this film

Rating: 1/10 (16 May 2016)

Despite the spoiler tag, I've kept this review clear of specific plot spoilers. Instead, I've listed, more generally, the types of cruelty involved in this movie.
And I know I'm taking the risk of getting a lot of thumbs down from people who could take what this movie dished out -- specifically, people who could take it, and think others should take it too, without any warning.
These people might argue that the intention of the movie is to lure you in with false expectations, then spring the nasty stuff on you, and that your upset reaction is acceptable, because the film is deliberately designed to "shock" you that way. I disagree.
If someone makes a movie that has both comedy and horror elements (torture, mutilation, etc.), it is dishonest to make a trailer out of only the quirky and funny scenes.
This is a cruel and ugly movie. From the beginning, it is gray and grim, with the exact kind of depressing music that Americans expect from arty foreign films. But very quickly, it becomes clear that the film is worse than that.
The trailer makes it seem like a fun and quirky movie, maybe something like Being John Malcovich. I suppose it is, during the "funny" parts. But in my opinion, that is overshadowed by the other nasty things that happen in this movie.
The movie tries to make points in its "dark satire," but they are pretty similar to points that were covered a lot less painfully in, for example, "But I'm a Cheerleader." The director's agenda seems to stem from his own miserable world view. Forget the fantasy element of the movie's premise; he has his own fantasy in which far too high a percentage of the world is capable of murder, torture, body mutilation and so on.
I'm hoping this review will help others like me avoid the movie. I tried to scan the RottenTomatoes page to get a sense of what I could expect from the movie, but I basically walked away with "The Lobster is definitely an acquired taste -- but for viewers with the fortitude to crack through Yorgos Lanthimos' offbeat sensibilities, it should prove a savory cinematic treat." This is not the case, and it is not a fair summary. Sprinkling a few drops of battery acid into your "savory cinematic treat" completely offsets the value of whatever other ingredients you've included.
I hope people will go into this movie armed with more knowledge than I had.