The Lobster Review

The Lobster is a romance movie directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz. The film takes place in a society where single people are forced go to a hotel. There, they must find a partner within 45 days, otherwise, they are turned into an animal of their choice. David, whose wife just left him, goes to the hotel. However, when he cannot find a partner, he escapes, and joins the “loners,” a group of hotel escapees who live in the woods and force themselves not to love anyone. Ironically, it is here that David meets a woman that he loves. In case that synopsis didn’t make it clear, this is not a typical movie, but despite that, I really quite liked the lobster.

The acting in this movie is actually great, especially from Colin Farrell. He’s very subtle, however the audience can always tell what he’s thinking and what his motives are. He’s excellent as David, and he really sells the character as being this loser nobody who just wants to live a normal life. The audience really sympathizes with him as he gets caught up in the strange rules and regulations of both the hotel and the loners.

The biggest thing this movie does right, is that it doesn’t become pretentious, like Mr. Nobody or Swiss Army Man. This movie, unlike those, doesn’t get caught up with it’s message. It doesn’t try to be painfully obvious like Swiss Army Man, or ridiculously full of itself like Mr. Nobody. The Lobster is essentially showing that as people, we get into and out of relationships for incredibly petty reasons. And thankfully, this message is told without becoming ponderous or downright stupid.

This movie, is not for everyone. The story is presented in a weird manner, with a Third person narrator who’s later revealed to be David’s lover partially telling the story. This movie also has some very uncomfortable scenes, that will undoubtedly turn off some members of the audience. To be frank, this movie is weird and if you’re the kind of person who really likes marvel movies or “normal” things like that, you probably won’t like The Lobster.

All in all, I really liked this movie. I love Colin Farrell, and the movie as a whole is philosophical without being pretentious. The Lobster is a good film, and one you should at least try to watch.