The Lobster

I don't know if master Lanthimos, who wrote one of the most bizarre scripts we've ever seen on the silver screen, was the only one on drugs, or if it was also the actors, led by the soft-spoken Farrell, with the most bizarre role of his career. But who really cares when this emotionally ungraspable yet romantic, visually austere and static yet compelling sci-fi flick somehow works and is pieced together with exactly the right carefully chosen essences to maintain its unique face of a confident auteur film from the first to the last second. If it had been given a slightly more sinister and less parodic look the fanatical totalitarian system, and if it could evoke more sympathy for the weird characters, it could have been one of the most interesting independent films of recent years, but as it is, The Lobster is just a passing speciality for festival and arthouse audiences... 75% (12/31/2015)

Yorgos Lanthimos is definitely an interesting filmmaker. True, before "Lobster" I had only seen the film "Dogtooth," but that too is one of those that will stay in your memory. "Lobster" is another one of those. There are characters, scenes, and overall direction that you simply won't find anywhere else. I think even the actors didn't really know what they were shooting and why. (01/29/2016)

Orwell style black-humorous romantic satire ... Bizarre? Definitely. Unique? There´s no doubt about it. Refined? Not even close. The first hotel half is incomparably better the second forest part, which is ruined mainly by the non-existent chemistry between the central couple that is "despite everything" very much in love and by the fact that it all fades away (and no, I do not mean the final scene). And now something completely different. (03/12/2016)

Yorgos Lanthimos is so weird to the point of being fun, and after The Killing of a Sacred Deer I gave a chance to the the two year older The Lobster and I'm thrilled. Colin Farrel may be the man for these weird projects. The film pulls you in right from the start with its very bizarre idea and unusual hotel with strange rules and harsh punishment. Surprisingly, it was quite gritty in places, but very funny in others and managed to make you tense or downright shock you. I love that combination and some of the scenes were downright brilliant. The scream of the woman who jumped from the 10th floor to the ground was so realistically portrayed that I had goosebumps all over. For me it was a blast, but it won't suit everyone (not everyone likes this kind of controversial bizarre stuff). The only disappointment is the open ending. 85% (02/25/2018)

Except for a few festival crap shows, I never left the cinema before the closing credits. Until The Lobster. It was clear after twenty minutes that I wasn't on the same wavelength as the film, but I hung on for another half hour. That's all I could do. Overwrought drivel full of awkwardly declaiming actors, dysfunctional humour and romance, and a tragic attempt to pretend it is something more. I give that one star to the actors, most of whom I like quite a bit and felt sorry for. But Yorgos Lanthimos goes on the blacklist. And I’m buying a beer to whomever makes sure Johnnie Burn never composes music again. (06/05/2016)