The Lobster is a film about a man living in world where every person who is single is taken to a hotel and forced to pair off with a mate in 45 days or he will be transformed into an animal. There also exists a society outside of the hotel where all the people who have escaped banded together to form a group of rebels, who forbid any form of romance or flirting in order to be a member. It's a dark comedy, and admittedly it's not the kind of movie you can recommend to just anyone.
The best thing about the film though is just how absurd it all is, but how dry and almost emotionless the characters all play it off. A world where people are forced to pair off is one that leads to much deceit and games, and it's just so funny and strangely charming how dry and almost robotic everyone's personality seems. It feels like something that shouldn't work, but it does very well and it's entertaining to watch all the ridiculous situations that play out with this kind of acting to go along with it.
The idea of this world that forces people to pair off or transform into an animal is a great and funny one. Taking a poke of fun at a conventional aspect of our real lives, the idea that we as people are pressured to find love and get married in our lives. We live in a society where romance and having a relationship is pushed as an essential part of life and it almost seems frowned upon at times to not want to pursue that aspect of life because people view it as an essential part of living. So it's great to see a movie that can create this crazy world where it's actually necessary in order to keep your humanity to find another person to spend your life with. Also poking fun at the other side of things by making rebels who punish you for any attempts at romance you might have.
As I stated before, this movie is not for everyone. While the setup to this world is very interesting and unique, the tone of the movie is very dark and it's just one of those films that's incredibly odd. You might find that oddness charming like I did, with the way the actors play the absurd situations to in a super serious, and dry way. The weird quirky characters aren't charming in the average sense, it's really all about the context of the film that it all works so well. It's also a film that requires attention throughout in order to get the full experience. It's also a great looking film, with great music to go along with the absurdity of the story. It all works well, even though it probably shouldn't. As interesting as the movie was though, I don't think it's the kind of movie I'll be re-watching anytime soon, the story and dark humor isn't something I really want to return to anytime soon. It's a good one time watch, I feel like I got all that I needed out of it.
If any of that sounds interesting, I suggest giving it a shot. It's a very different kind of movie that you don't see being made too often. All the crazyness and oddities come together to make a really unique and pretty fun movie to watch. If you enjoy dark humor, absurd but compelling stories, or just want to see a strange indie film that's not quiet like anything else out there give it a shot. If that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, then I say pass on this one. It's currently out on DVD and you can rent or stream it.
Overall Grade: C+
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