Since childhood, modern people have been taught common truths, but many of them turn out to be a lie for verification. Among the imposed stereotypes is the need to get married / married before the age of 30, otherwise you will be a lonely loser. Trying to meet this requirement, many are in a hurry to tie the knot with the first candidate for the role of spouse. And as a result, they become deeply unhappy in family life with an unloved person. Meanwhile, society inspires such people that unhappy marriage is a common norm and, if you have a couple of children, you will eventually get used to it.
The young Greek director Yorgos Lantimos, known for his arthouse films, shot the film “Lobster” in 2015. In this tape, he tried to show the audience how perverted the understanding of the institution of the family is in modern society.
Motion picture "Lobster"
At the Kansky Film Festival in 2015, a new anti-utopia tape by Yorgos Lantimos “Lobster” was first shown.
Despite the fact that this picture refers to arthas cinema with a very modest budget (4 million euros), world-famous actors starred in it. Among them are Colin Farrell,
Rachel Weiss, Lea Seydoux,
Ben Wishaw, Roger Ashton Griffiths and others.
The film "Lobster": the plot
In the not too distant future, the laws of society have become more stringent. Now man should not be alone, otherwise he will be turned into a beast. If an individual has not married before a certain time or has become a widower / widow, they will send him to a specialized hotel for 45 days. Here he is obliged to find a mate in the allotted time, otherwise he will be turned into an animal.
The protagonist of the picture is a notorious lonely middle-aged man named David. Some time ago, his brother, unable to start a family, became a dog. Now it's David's turn. Staying in a hotel for singles, he is trying to start a relationship with women, but all his attempts are in vain. Later, he learns that people who want to be alone can go into the forest and join the hermits. David soon does so.
But here, among the picturesque nature, the hero is faced with other restrictions of his freedom. It turns out that all hermits are forbidden from any close relationship. Violations of this rule are punishable by severe mutilation or death. David falls in love with one of the wild women to his misfortune, and she reciprocates.
Lovers have to hide their love from other hermits, but later the leader of the loners finds out about their feelings and, in punishment, blinds David's lover.
Realizing that they have no place among the hermits, lovers flee to the city. However, the main character understands that his half feels flawed next to him because of his blindness. Therefore, at the end of the picture, he is going to dazzle himself.
The problems of the picture
In his picture, Yorgos Lantimos raises many important questions. First of all, this is the attitude of society towards love and marriage. Bringing to the absurdity the generally accepted norm that every full-fledged person should create a family, the director shows how family relationships lose their value, turning into a hated burden.
Parallel to the theme of love, the film “Lobster” (2015) examines the relationship between the individual and a totalitarian society. So, the main character is an outsider in any group. Unconsciously, he resists the generally accepted norms: when everyone around is forced to look for a mate, he prefers to be a loner; in a situation where loneliness is an accepted norm of existence, David makes a relationship. In fact, this hero symbolizes the right of each person to determine his own lifestyle, not conforming to the stereotypes imposed on others.
In addition to the above problems, the picture addresses some less global issues. For example, how difficult it is to find a soul mate in the modern world with its haste and conventions.
Also in the film much attention is paid to human nature, which cannot be curbed by any prohibitions and which always takes its toll. So, the desire to love and be loved is quite natural for everyone, even if he denies it. The heroine Lea Seydoux (leader of the hermits) is indicative in this situation. She makes sure that no relations are established between her wards, but at the same time she longs for David's love, but is afraid to admit it. Upon learning of his romance, a woman blinds her rival, who rightly observes that it would be more advisable to deprive David of his sight.
Film director
This film is the fifth directorial work of Yorgos Lantimos. This person is also the author of the script for the picture. Perhaps it was for this reason that he managed to create such an attractive and absurd spectacle, frightening with its realism.
Prior to this tape, Yorgos shot videos, commercials, and television shows. In 2009, his movie "Fang" was nominated for an Oscar, although he never won it. But this nomination helped the director to prove himself in the cinema world from the best side.
“Lobster” is the first picture of a director of an international level. It was played by stars from different countries: Irishman Colin Farrell, Frenchwoman Lea Seydoux, Greek Ariana Labed, American John C. Riley, British Rachel Weiss and Ben Wishaw.
The main characters of the picture
The main role in the film was played by Colin Farrell (“Alexander”, “Daredevil”, “Minority Report”). As a rule, this actor gets the role of charming handsome. However, Colin Farrell played a fat and short-sighted man with a lot of complexes in this project. Lobster is boring - that’s who his character is at the beginning of the picture. But later it turns out that David is a real hero, ready to sacrifice everything for love and freedom.
The unnamed beloved of the protagonist was played by the British Rachel Weisz ("The Mummy", "Agora", "Constantine: Lord of Darkness"). This actress is used to embodying strong and independent women on the screen. However, in this picture, her heroine is a touching and somewhat naive rabbit hunter who captivates not only David, but all the spectators.
The main obstacle that prevents lovers from being together in the film is the leader of the hermits performed by the new girlfriend of James Bond - Lea Seydoux. Her heroine is smart and prudent. She is well versed in human psychology and knows what and who needs to be told in order to achieve her goal.
Minor Characters
However, not only this trio helped turn Lobster into a true masterpiece. The film actors, who played less significant roles, made so successful.
Among them are John C. Riley (“Gangs of New York”, “Chicago”, “Scary Tales”), as well as Ben Wishaw (“Perfumer”, “Cloud Atlas”, “In the Heart of the Sea”), Ariana Labed (“Credo assassins ”) and Roger Ashton-Griffiths (“ Brothers Grimm ”,“ Game of Thrones ”,“ Tudors ”).
Critics' reaction to Lobster
The movie “Lobster” (2015) turned out to be a rather successful project, despite the fact that it was originally designed for a specific audience. He not only tripled the money invested in it, but also received rather high marks from critics: 83 out of 100 according to the version of the American Metacritic site. On another well-known portal, Rotten Tomatoes, this tape gained 91% of positive reviews.
Peter Bradshaw, correspondent for The Guardian, a British newspaper, called the "Lobster" movie "elegant and eccentric." The film (review by critic Wai Chi Dimok) was compared to the works of the famous Irish playwright Samuel Beckett and was called "The Fable of Purgatory."
The film "Lobster": reviews from viewers
As you know, professional critics love the odious movie, incomprehensible to the ordinary audience. For this reason, often their views and moviegoers on the same tape can differ. But the lobster is a happy exception to this rule. Reviews of him from the audience and critics are equally positive. And if the film attracted cinematic specialists with its arthouse gadgets, then ordinary movie buffs appreciated the touching love story of the main characters.
Some viewers, on the contrary, took the film as a manifesto of Lantimos against the institution of marriage. Others, after watching the movie "Lobster", reviews leave mainly about the acting game of Weiss and Farrell.
Younger moviegoers, in whom the spirit of rebellion has not yet cooled down, in their reviews praise the picture for portraying the individual’s struggle against a totalitarian society.
Interesting facts about the picture
- Initially, the main character was supposed to play Jason Clark ("Terminator: Genesis"), but because of participation in another project, he was forced to abandon his role in the film "Lobster".
- The film, the actors who starred in it, helped to highlight among others that everyone agreed to act without makeup and special lighting. Thus, in this tape, the leading actors look the same as in real life.
- In addition to human actors, “Lobster” also featured animal actors: cats, dogs, camels, peacocks, donkeys and ponies.
- The most frequently asked question about this picture: “How did the film“ Lobster ”end?” This is due to the open finale, which some viewers simply did not understand, believing that they had a stripped-down version of the film.
- “Lobster” is the first English-language picture made by Yorgos Lantimos. The four previous director's tapes were in Greek, because of which they were not able to enter the international film market.
Despite the fact that the film “Lobster” received positive reviews, not everyone understood this picture. Many found her boring or delusional. Probably, to most accurately characterize this tape, it is worth recalling the wise man's statement that real art, like a mirror, reflects the one who looks at it. A monster will see a freak in him, and a man of a pleasant appearance is something beautiful.