Cohort. Magazine (Issue 2)

Cohort. issue 2
Images from collider.com
MPTV
THE
LOBSTER
Movie Review
| Written by Rio A. Ramzy
Image from ew.com
Universal love. What a theme. Since February will be
a very memorable month thanks to Valentine’s Day,
it is time to rethink about how we view the concept of
love. Every person has a different view and interpretation
of love, and that is acceptable. Whether you say that
love actually is everywhere (quoting the narration of
Love Actually) or that love is lust with jealousy added
(quoting Joe from Nymphomaniac Vol. I), everyone does
not have to have one definition of love. However, in the
hands of the renowned Greek auteur and an absurdist
Yorgos Lanthimos, love is an enigma in a rigid society
and a matter of life and death.
Set in The City, this movie centers on our hero, David
(Colin Farrell). David has been recently admitted to
The Hotel, which is a rather luxurious quarantine, if not
a prison, for single people. Rule of The City states that
being single is prohibited. People who are admitted to
The Hotel must find a partner in 45 days or else being
transformed into an animal of their choice. We are taken
into a journey where David searches for the right one for
his broken heart in a society with a very odd definition
of love.
Yorgos Lanthimos is memorable not only because his
body of work is mainly absurdism, but also because
that they contain some sort of satire. Dogtooth deals
with parent overprotectiveness. Alps deals with the
grieving. Now, The Lobster presents you an original and
unconventional satire about couple-fixated society. The
Lobster manages to do this with flying colors, touching
subjects like matchmaking and ‘compatibility test’ in
a powerful manner that the satire really slaps us and
makes us view that coupledom in our society is wrong in
many ways. The atmosphere, the pale color palette, the
unique characteristics of the people in the movie and
their action give us an unsettling yet familiar and comedic
combination which supports the movie’s message. The
cast are also shining in the movie. Colin Farrell seems
to make a breakthrough career with his awkward,
strong yet fragile and lovable character. Rachel Weisz
proves that her character and David are a powerful
pair that can be awkward, humorous, and tragic at the
same time. The pairing is developed beautifully without
exaggeration that we can oddly be sympathetic to them
amidst the peculiar nature of their society.
Another thing to add is that this movie is Lanthimos’ first
English-language feature. Normally, when directors
from non-English speaking countries try to make
their first feature in English, the stakes are quite high.
International and well-known cast may place the risk on
an even higher place. However, Lanthimos successfully
produced a movie which can be acceptable for more
diverse audience without losing his storytelling style.
The fact that this movie won Jury Prize at 2015 Cannes
Film Festival seems to prove that Yorgos Lanthimos has
already matured as a director and worth to be counted
as a considerable force in international film industry.
In conclusion, this movie is highly recommended for
people who want to refresh their minds from the tragic
and ridiculously romantic movies in Valentine’s Day. The
peculiarity adds a sense of familiarity to the audience, and
the story is perfectly executed. Why bother watching the
same type of movies when you can be outside of the box?
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