A masterful exploration of the pursuit of love in the current digital landscape

Rating: 10/10 (26 February 2016)

Some movies strike such a singular chord in your heart, that you feel they were made exclusively for you. For me, "The Lobster" is such a movie.
This marks Yorgos Lanthimos first English language film, but don't worry. It's just as uncompromising and delightfully weird as his other features, namely "Dogtooth" and "Alps". The film is set in a dystopian future, where everyone must have a romantic partner, otherwise they are sent to the Hotel, in order to acquire one in a maximum allotted time of 45 days. If they fail to do so, the unlucky loners are transformed into an animal of their choosing and sent out to live in the wilderness. David is one such bachelor and the film follows his quest for a partner.
I write a "partner", because that truly is the purpose of the Hotel. The people in charge aren't interested in some romantic notion of true love or anything like that. The guests must partner up with someone who is an empirical match with them; whether they both suffer from sudden nose bleeds, have poor eye sight, or even a limp, they must somehow be physically compatible. Lanthimos brings us immediately his incisive satire, exploring to an extreme the social expectations of dating in the current online landscape; where you swipe endlessly to the left until you find that one person whose mere looks just click. The way Lanthimos exposes society's conventions, by pushing the concept to its extreme is what makes "The Lobster" a humorous but also incredibly violent film.
"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever."
The future in this film isn't unlike the one George Orwell described above. It operates in an artificial world, drained of human emotion. Most characters search for a partner, but only out of self-preservation. It is when David begins to experience true love, that Lanthimos masterfully explores the struggle of nurturing true affection in the current oppressive digital age. David reveals himself alive for the first time, distinguishing himself from all others, and those who don't remain indifferent react with violence.
I won't reveal just how far the violence in "The Lobster" escalates, but the ending is in perfect Lanthimos fashion, leaving you fulfilled but grasping at your seat. There are still quite a few films from 2015 that I am eager to see, but, as of now, "The Lobster" is my favorite of the year.