The Lobster

I've seen The Lobster scrolling through various streaming services many times. It sounded like it'd be right up my alley. I love Colin Farrell in dark-comedic roles and after seeing Poor Things, I was sure that Yorgos Lanthimos' weird, creative decisions would work for me. My sister was in the middle of watching it and recommended that I watch it. There's a lot more to The Lobster than what's on the surface and I've been thinking about it nonstop. From the opening scene you know exactly what kind of film this is going to be. The dark comedic tone is present in every aspect of The Lobster. I can't say that for many films I've seen. The exploration of how society views "loners" vs. couples is the staggering primary focus of the film. It's not something I ever thought about. The film expresses these thoughts as satire, but it's definitely a real issue especially across social media and schools. Many people lie about being in a committed relationship just to feel on the same level as others. It's such a stupid thing to criticize people for and it makes me wonder how and why we ever got to that point. I wasn't getting the significance of the robotic dialogue at first. It then occurred to me that this was very similar to Poor Things' dialogue. This was done to emphasize the robotic nature of the characters and how their behaviors are essentially programmed. An interesting choice that I'm sure many people will be annoyed with, but I really enjoyed it and I respect the commitment. It also was the foundation of most of the comedy; I'm not sure it would have worked otherwise. I loved the various settings in the film and just how diverse they were in presentation. The dull gray and brown color pallet in the hotel shows just how it feels to follow societies norms without question. The characters' bright and fancy outfits completely clash against it. It feels like they're more so in a lab than a hotel/resort and that they're test subjects in an experiment. When the setting moves to the forest, everything flips: the colors become a beautiful orange and green, but the characters are dressed in grungy survival gear. To me, the settings represent physical freedom while the outfits represent emotional freedom. A slight issue while watching The Lobster that didn't bother me at all after watching the film was the narration. I typically can't stand narrators as I'm all for "show don't tell", but this one ties into the story and the comedic elements in a way that elevates the film as a whole. There's so much more I could say about this film, but I just want to mention how much I loved the ending. As I watched it I thought "Man, wouldn't it be cool if it just ended here." And it did. I love an ending that makes you ponder the different possibilities given everything before it. Also, if you plan on watching it, make sure you stay till the end of the credits. There's a piece of audio that's integral to the conclusion. List: *Favorite Films* **