The Lobster review [LFF 2015]: “Laced with uproarious humour”

The Lobster review: One of the funniest, most unique films of the year.

The Lobster review

Six months after making its debut at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster finally makes its way to UK cinemas via the BFI London Film Festival.

This very, very unique movie is set in the very near future where everyone who is not in a loving relationship must report to The Hotel, where they must find a new partner within 45 days, or they are turned into an animal, and set free into the nearby woods. If they are successful in finding a new mate, they are treated to a double room, and then granted two weeks holiday on a luxury yacht. If they make it through that, they are allowed to return to their dwellings in The City. If they escape the hotel on their stay, they are branded loners, and the inhabitants of The Hotel can claim one extra day’s stay for each loner that they take out on their daily hunts.

The Lobster review

Colin Farrell plays the role of David, the only named character in the film, who has just arrived at the doors of The Hotel at the start of the movie, along with his brother, who we see has already visited, and has been transformed into a dog. We learn that Farrell’s animal of choice, should he not make it, is a lobster, hence the title.

To tell you any more would spoil the many delights and charms of this brilliant, very intelligent film – a truly unique experience that had us howling with laughter all of the way through. The Lobster is presented in a garnish of a very particular type of humour, which viewers will either warm to or not. Rachel Weisz‘s character, billed only as ‘Short Sighted Women’, narrates 90% of the movie in a very monotone voice, which adds to the comedy. Weisz herself, when she finally appears on-screen, is excellent, as too is Farrell; his character of David equally as rib-tickling with his subtle nuances and comedic quips which, if I were to repeat here, would fall firmly flat. The comedy is in the delivery, and their random placement.

The Lobster review

The film boasts a superb supporting cast that includes British actors Olivia Colman, Ben Whishaw, Michael Smiley and Ashley Jensen as well as future Bond girl Léa Seydoux, and John C. Reilly as Lispy Man, a role that is perfect in.

The film’s apparent randomness is its biggest positive. There are many subtle prods which solidify its genius, and in such a bland environment, the film rarely has a dull moment. I literally cannot compliment Lanthimos’s debut English-language feature enough.

Quirky, off-beat, dark, random and absolutely batty, The Lobster is one of the highlights of the year.  A hilarious, delicious delight from start to finish.

The Lobster review by Paul Heath, October, 2015.

The Lobster screens at the BFI London Film Festival and is released across the UK from Friday 16th October. Is it still awaiting a US release.